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DESCRIPTIVE  BOOKLfTON 
IHE  ALASKA  HISTORICAL 
MUSEUM 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


.u^L.n 


DESCRIPTIVE   BOOKLET  on  the 

Alaska  Historical  Museum 


p^e^^V^H^E^D  ALASKA   HISTORICAL  ASSOCIATION 

EDITED    BY    REV.    A.    P.    KASHEVAROFF,  CURATOR 


JUNEAU,    ALASKA 


19  2  2 


DESCRIPTIVE  BOOKLET 

ON     THE 

Alaska  Historical 
Museum 

ISSUED     BY     THE 

Alaska  Historical  Association 


EDITED      n\ 

REV.   A.   P.   KASHEVAROFF 

CURATOR 


19    2    2 


Juneau, 


Alaska 


Copyright  ed  by  the  A  1  a  sk  a  Historical  Association 


'J 


HE 


Library 


fSKa 


List  of  Authorities  (Consulted 


Dr.    K.    W.    Nelson — •'Tht'    l-:skiiiio   About    Heriiii;    Si  rail." 

Ur.   John    Miudocli-'The   Point    Barrow    lOskinio." 

Dr.    Walter   Hough,    Fh.    D. — -Tlu'    Lamps   ot"   the   Eskimo." 

J)r.    Fran/   Hoaz — "The   Central    Kskimo." 

Dr.   Daniel  S.   Neuman — V.   S.    Bureau  of  Education,    Nome.   Alaska. 

John  R.  Swanton — "Social  Conditions,  Beliefs  and  LinKuislie  Re- 
lations of  the  Thlingit    Indians." 

Dr.  Otis  Tufton   Mason — " Aboriginal    Harpoons." 

Captain  Sir  Edward  Belcher  —Narrative  of  the  voyage  around  the 
world  performed  in  H.  M.  S.  ••Sulphur"  (hiring  the  years 
1836-1842. 

Dr.  William  Healey  Dall — •Masks,  Labrets  and  Certain  Aboriginal 
Customs." 

Father  John  Veniaminoff — -(a)     'Notes  on  the  Unalaska  District." 

(b)    "Notes  on    tl»e   Thlingit    Indians." 

Lieutenant  George  T.   Emmons,   U.   S.   Navy — 

(a)  "The   Basketry   of   the   Thlingit." 

(b)  "The  Chilkat    Blanket." 


3110219 


Alaska  Historical  Museum 


The  Story  of  the  Alaska  Historical  Museum, 
and  the  Specimens  Acquired. 


Its  Inception 


The  inslilutioii  known  as  the  Alaska 
Historical  Library  and  Museum  was 
created  by  an  act  of  Congress  June  (i. 
li)()0.  Prior  to  this  date  only  a  small 
collection  of  articles  of  native  oripin 
and  about  1200  volumes  of  books  of 
historical  nature  were  acquired  and 
kept  at  the  executive  office.  Under  this 
act  the  money  for  acciuiring  new  books 
for  the  library  and  a  suitable  collection 
of  native  work  for  the  museum  v.-as 
derived  from  the  fees  paid  in  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Territory  for  certifi- 
cates issued  to  the  members  of  the 
Alaska  Bar  and  for  commissions  issued 
to  notaries  public. 

No  provision  was  made  for  the  pro- 
per housing  and  display  of  the  speci- 
mens nor  for  the  care  of  the  books  in 
the  library.  New^  specimens  were  ac- 
ijuired  from  time  to  time,  carefully 
packed  and  stored  until  such  time  as  a 
suitable  building  c;:uld  be  secured. 

In  August  1910,  seventy-one  very 
rare  baskets  from  the  North  Interior 
tribes  of  British  Columbia  were  added 
to  the  collection,  and  in  July,  1911, 
nine  hundred  sixty-four  pieces  of  Ks- 
kimo  antiquities  were  acquired.  All 
were  carefully  packed  and  stored  away. 
Rare  Thlingit  and  Aleutian  baskets  to- 
gether with  the  Eskimo  work  in  the 
same  line  were  rdded  from  time  to 
time. 

In  the  spring  of  1920,  Dr.  Daniel  S. 
Neuman,  late  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Education  at  Nome,  came  to  Juneiui 
Ijringing  his  very  rare  collection  of  Es- 
kimo antiquities.  Dr.  Neuman  spent 
ten  years  in  the  far  North,  where  he 
had  an  excellent  opportunity  for  the 
study  of  the  Eskimo  life  and  their  ab- 
original work.  His  collection  fully  il- 
lustrates the  life,  customs,  habits,  art, 
social  regulations,  beliefs  and  ceremon- 


ies of  these  Northern  people.  He  gath- 
ered his  specimens  with  cart-  and  com- 
pleteness, having  in  mind  the  historical 
and  scientific  data,  which  he  procured 
with  every  piece.  This  collection  is 
said  to  be  one  of  the  most  complete  of 
its  kind  in  the  United  States. 

(Governor  Riggs,  realizing  the  import- 
ance of  having  such  a  collection  in  the 
Territory,  immediately  put  forth  every 
effort  to  have  this  collection  a  part  of 
the  Territorial  exhibit.  A  quarter  of 
the  collection  was  at  once  purchased 
from  Dr.  Neuman  and  the  remaining 
portion  was  kindly  loaned  to  the  Terri- 
tory. It  was  entirely  due  to  the  (gov- 
ernor's initiative  and  under  his  per- 
sonal direction  that  the  museum  was 
opened  and  the  rare  specimens  put  on 
display  for  the  benefit  of  the  general 
public.  In  order  to  facilitate  the  in- 
terest in  the  public  of  the  Territory 
and  to  continue  in  acquiring  new  speci- 
mens, an  Historical  Association  was 
formed.  Many  prominent  citizens  and 
public  spirited  men  and  women  all  over 
Alaska  pledged  their  support  for  this 
great  work.  The  Association  is  doing 
satisfactory  work  in  a  quiet  way  and 
the  results  obtained  in  the  short  time 
the  Association  has  been  in  existence, 
can  be  seen  in  the  many  new  specimens 
and  the  valuable  historical  data  pro- 
cured. 

In  the  Session  of  1921  the  Alaska 
Legislature  appropriated  a  sufficient 
sum  of  money  to  purchase  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  Dr.  Neuman's  collection. 

On  September  9,  1920  the  Alaska 
Historical  Museum  was  opened  to  the 
public  and  since  that  date  it  has  grown 
in  imi3ortance  and  size.  The  manage- 
ment is  living  in  hopes  of  securing  a 
concrete  building  where  these  valuable 
specimens  can  be  housed  and  kept  in 
safety. 


ALASKA       UISTOklCAL       MUSEUM 


Natives  of  Southeastern  Alaska 


The  ThHngits 


Father  Veniaminoff  in  the  notes  on 
the  Thlmgils,  says:  "The  Tlilingits  are 
of  entirely  dirterent  origin  from  the 
Aleuts  and  all  other  people  inhabiting 
the  Russian  America.  Their  exterior 
appearance  shows  this  and  very  dis- 
tinctly dillers  trom  that  of  Aleuts: 
Large,  black  and  open  eyes,  regular 
features,  cheek-bones  not  prominent,  of 
medium  height,  imposing  carriage  and 
walk  with  chest  to  the  front,  this  plain- 
ly shows  that  they  are  not  of  Mongol- 
ian origin,  but  entirely  of  American. 

"The  traditions  of  the  Thlingits  bear 
this  opinion  out.  The  Sitka  Indians  say 
that  they  did  not  come  from  the  west, 
but  from  the  east,  from  the  mainland 
of  America  situated  across  from  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands.  The  Southeastern 
Alaska  Indians  call  themselves  Thlingit 
(people)  with  an  addition  of  the  word 
Antouquan,  which  means  universal. 
Aside  from  the  name  "Thlingit,"  they 
have  names  according  to  locality  where 
they  live.  The  Sitka  Indians  call  them- 
selves Shitka  Quan,  or  people  living  on 
the  sea  side  of  the  island  of  Shig. 

"The  Thlingits  are  divided  into  two 
main  tribes — the  Raven  or  Yethl  tribe 
and  the  other  the  wolf  or  Kootch  tribe. 
Under  the  name  of  raven  it  is  under- 
stood that  this  being  is  not  a  bird  but 
of  the  human  race,  and  the  wolf  is  not 
an  animal  but  a  Kannook  or  some  sort 
of  a  man. 

"These  tribes  are  subdivided  into  clans, 
using  for  their  names  the  names  of 
animals,  birds,  fish  and  other  creatures. 
Those  belonging  to  the  Wolf  phratry 
have  six  principal  clans :  Wolf,  Bear, 
Eagle,  Whale-killer,  Shark  and  l)lack 
Oyster-catcher.  Those  belonging  to  the 
Raven  phratry  are  named  for  Raven, 
Frog,  Goose,  Seal,  Owl,  Salmon,  etc. 
The  several  clans  of  both  phratries  are 


subdividi  ci  into  families  or  lesser  clans, 
carrying  the  names  of  houses  or 
villages. 

"Each  clan  has  its  own  crest  or  coat- 
of-arms,  which  on  state  occasions  or 
celebrations  is  exhibited  either  in  front 
of  the  house  or  in  the  interior  on  the 
front  wall  or  the  foremost  corners.  The 
chief  of  the  clan  adorns  himself  with 
special  apparel  bearing  insignia  belong- 
ing lo  his  tribe. 

"These  crests  or  coats  of  arms  repre- 
sent the  particular  animals  which  the 
clans  adopted.  They  are  made  from 
wood  or  from  the  skin  of  the  animal 
which  they  represent." 


BELIEF 


The  majority  of  the  Thlingits  recog- 
nize as  their  Supreme  Being  some  per- 
son under  the  name  of  Yethl.  This 
Yethl,  according  to  the  Thlingit  belief, 
is  all  powerful. 

He 'created  everything  in  the  world: 
earth,  animals,  man,  vegetation.  He 
procured  the  sun,  moon  and  stars.  He 
loves  the  people,  but  often  in  his  anger 
sends  epidemics  and  misfortunes  upon 
them.  Yethl  was  in  the  beginning,  he 
never   ages   and   will   never   die. 

The  Thlingit  faith  is  of  spirituiilistic 
nature.  According  to  their  belief  de- 
vils do  not  exist,  but  there  are  spirits 
called  Yeiks,  which  can  be  summoned 
by  the  shamans  at  will.  There  is  a 
countless  number  of  them  abiding  in 
space  to  the  north  in  the  clouds.  Every 
shaman  has  his  own  Yeiks  who  direct 
him.  All  of  these  Yeiks  love  purity 
and  for  this  reason  the  Shaman  before 
invoking  their  aid  is  obliged  to  fast 
and  to  observe  chastity.  The  house 
where  the   invocation   is   to   take   place 


A  L  A  S  K  A       111  S  TORI  C;  A  I.       M  U  S  K  L'  M 


11 


must  be  scrupulously  clean  and  new, 
clean  gravel  spread  before  the  lire 
place. 

The  belief  in  Shamanism  was  in- 
grained among  the  Thlingits,  and  the 
doctors,  as  they  are  now  called,  exer- 
cised a  vtry  strong  intliicncc  over 
members  of  the  race. 

In  ortler  to  be  a  good  shaman  meant 
to  have  in  one's  control  many  Veiks 
and  to  liave  been  able  to  invoke  their 
aid.  '1  he  function  of  the  shaman  was 
to  foretell  future  and  ta  recognize  un- 
foreseen things,  t(>  avert  danger  and 
misfortune. 

Shamanism  in  most  cases  was  hered- 
itary. It  dtsctnded  to  the  son  (  r  the 
nephew  with  all  the  paraphernalia, 
clothing,  masks,  charms  and  secret  ap- 
purtenances, but  not  every  one  who  de- 
sired to  be  shaman  could  do  so,  and 
even  among  thL^  heirs  only  those  who 
could  receive  the  Yeiks  could  qualify. 

A  candidate  to  the  shamanistic  hon- 
ors retired  to  the  forest  or  into  the 
hill.s — to  places  not  visited  by  human 
beings  —  where  he  lived  about  two 
weeks  or  even  a  month,  subsisting  en- 
tirely on  vegetable  matter.  Th^'  dura- 
tion of  the  retreat  depended  upon  the 
mercy  of  the  Yeiks  who  at  times  were 
long  in  appearing  to  him  or  until  the 
pi'incipal  Yeik  sent  the  candidate  a  land 
otter,  which  is  tht^  cardin;il  attribut(> 
of  all  shamans. 

When  the  Yeiks  are  received,  tlu- 
principal  or  most  powerful  Yeik  sends 
the  shaman  a  land  otter,  in  the  tongue 
of  which  is  contained  the  whole  power 
of  the  shaman.  This  land  otter  comes 
out  to  meet  the  shaman,  b^ing  guided 
entirely  by  the  Yeik.  As  the  shaman 
sees  the  approaching  land  otter  he 
stops  in  fnmt  of  it  at  some  distance 
and  utters  a  very  loud  sound  some- 
thing like  Oh,  repeated  four  times  in 
(litferently  pitched  tones.  These  sounds 
kill  the  land  otter  which,  in  dying,  falls 
on  its  back,  the  tongue  protruding.  The 
shaman    immediately   cuts    the    tongue 


out  and  puts  it  into  a  very  small  box 
which  he  carries  with  him.  There  are 
other  mysterious  cbjects  in  this  little 
box.  The  box  is  then  hid  in  .some  very 
remote  and  impassable  place.  The  land 
otter  is  carefully  skinned.  The  .^kin 
is  preserved  and  heeomes  the  syml)ol 
of  his  calling. 

Having  accomi'lished  all  the  neces- 
sary requiren  ents,  the  n.w  shaman 
leaves  his  retreat  and  appears  again 
among  his  friends  and  relatives.  Some 
shamans  remain  .so  long  in  their  re- 
treat that  the  friends  often  give  them 
up  for  dead.  I'ut  when  such  return 
completely  emaciated,  with  face  almoat 
transparent.  they  ommand  more 
honor. 

The  greatness  and  glory  of  the  sha- 
man depends  upon  the  number  of  Yeiks 
at  his  command.  I'ow  rful  shamans 
with  innumerahle  Yeiks  to  his  credit 
and  control  have  i)een  known  to  be 
very  rich. 

The  shamans  under  no  circumstances 
were  permitted  to  cut  their  hair,  which 
was  done  very  rarely  and  only  in  times 
of  very  deep  mourning  and  then  only  a 
small  pertion  of  the  forJocks  were 
trimmed  but  the  main  part  with  the 
braid  were  never  cut. 

In  the  practice  of  the  shamanistic 
rites  he  was  assisted  by  his  rt'latives, 
who  formed  the  chorus  in  singing  and 
keeping  time  with  tom-toms  and  cer- 
tain sticks  that  were  struck  against 
wood. 

On  the  day  de-ignated  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  rites,  the  relatives  ab- 
stained from  f ;  od  or  drink  from  early 
morning  until  the  morning  of  the  day 
following.  The  beginning  of  the  per- 
formance took  place  at  sunset  and 
endcMl  at  the  tlawn  of  the  next  day. 
Shortly  before  sunset  all  who  wished 
to  witne.ss  the  performance  as.sembled 
into  a  house  selected  for  the  purpo.se 
which  was  carefully  cleaned,  as  men- 
tioned above.  Just  at  sunset  the  sing- 
ing started,   sung   by    men   as   well   as 


12 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


women.  A  large  drum,  suspended  from 
the  beams  of  the  roof,  generally  in  the 
front  corner  to  the  right  of  the  door, 
boomed  in  time  with  the  measure  oi 
the  songs.  The  shaman,  dressed  in  his 
costume,  began  running  in  a  circle  just 
around  the  fireplace,  his  course  always 
with  the  course  of  the  sun,  making  all 
sort  of  grimaces,  grotesque  movements 
and  violent  contortions  in  time  witii 
the  drum.  This  movement  was  kept  up 
until  he  gained  such  a  frenzy  that  his 
eyes  rolled  inward,  exhibiting  only  the 
white  portion  of  his  eye-balls.  His  face 
was  upturned  and  directed  toward  the 
opening  in  the  roof  through  which  the 
smoke  from  the  fire  escapes-  Retaining 
his  facial  contortions  for  awhile  he  would 
suddenly  stop,  his  gaze  directed  just 
over  the  top  of  the  big  drum  and  at  the 
same  time  he  would  cry  loudly.  Then 
the  singing  and  the  beating  of  the 
drum  would  simultaneously  cease.  All 
eyes  were  turned  upon  the  shaman, 
everybody  beholding  in  him  the  pro- 
phet. The  Thlingits  believe  that  just 
at  this  moment  it  is  not  the  shaman 
who  is  acting  and  speaking,  but  some 
Yeik  who  had  entered  into  him.  The 
shamans  assure  the  Indians  that  dur- 
ing such  performances  they  see  a  large 
number  of  Yeiks  or  spirits,  yet  only 
one  of  the  Yeiks  would  enter  into  him 
at  a  time. 


SORCERERS  OR  WITCHES 


Besides  the  shamans  the  Thlingits 
believed  in  witches  or  sorcerers.  These 
were  people  who  could  by  witchcraft 
impose  sickness  or  misfortune  upon 
I  heir  enemies.  The  sorcerers,  accord- 
ing to  the  Indian  traditions,  emanated 
from  Yethl  during  his  sojourn  upon 
the  earth.  He,  among  other  secrets, 
transmitted  the  secret  of  sorcery.  The 
Indians  believed  that  the  greatest  por- 
tion of  ills  among  the  human  race  wtis 
the  result  of  sorcery. 


The  mode  of  procedure  of  the  sor- 
cerer is  described  thus:  The  sorcsrei- 
endeavors  at  first  to  procure  secretly 
either  the  spittle,  hair,  a  portion  of  the 
food  or  even  some  particle  of  dirt  that 
may  have  adhered  to  the  body  of  his 
enemy.  When  he  was  able  to  procure 
some  of  the  mentioned  substances,  he 
carried  them  to  a  burying  place  and  de- 
posited them  in  some  partially  cre- 
mated body  or  the  ashes  after  crema- 
tion, or  even  into  a  carcass  of  a  dog. 
He  did  this  with  some  mystic  words 
known  only  to  sorcerers.  After  the 
carcass  or  the  body  where  the  articles 
were  buried  has  entirely  decomposed, 
the  object  of  his  sorcery  developed 
some  ailment  affecting  that  part  of  the 
body  from  which  the  articles  were 
taken.  For  instance:  If  the  hair  was 
taken  the  subject  developed  sores  on 
the  head,  etc. 

When  any  one  becomes  sick,  and 
having  a  suspicion  that  the  ailment 
was  brought  on  by  the  work  of  the 
sorcerer,  as  the  Indians  invariably 
think,  he  sends  a  messenger  for  the 
shaman  to  find  the  person  who  was  re- 
sponsible for  this  sickness.  The  messen- 
ger does  not  enter  the  house  but  on 
reaching  it  he  stops  in  front  by  the 
entrance  door  and  shouts  to  the  sha- 
man: "I  have  come  for  you."  The 
shaman  on  hearing  the  call  compels 
the  messenger  to  repeat  it  four  times 
and  each  time  with  greater  vehemence. 
While  listening  to  the  call  the  shaman 
pretends  to  listen  very  intently  in  order 
to  recognize  some  distant,  famihar 
voice  in  the  tones  of  the  messenger. 
The  Indians  believe  that  the  shaman, 
in  the  tones  produced  by  the  messen- 
ger, could  recognize  the  voice  of  the 
man  through  whose  magic  the  man  be- 
came sick.  After  the  messenger  has 
repeated  his  call  four  times  the  sha- 
man sends  him  back  with  the  promise 
that  he  will  come  in  the  evening. 

On  the  appointed  evening,  the  sha- 
man, having  assembled  all  his  rela- 
tives, assistants  and  singers,   proceeds 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


13 


to  the  house  where  the  sick  man  is. 
The  house  by  this  time  is  filled  with 
relatives  and  friends  of  the  sick  man. 
On  entering  it,  the  shaman  dons  liis 
costume  and  when  all  is  ready  he  com- 
mands the  singers  to  sing  and  the 
chorus  to  beat  on  some  resonant  piece 
of  wood  with  specially  carved  sticks. 
He  approaches  the  bed  of  the  sick  man 
and  begins  to  make  grimaces  with  cer- 
tain contortions  of  his  body.  He  con- 
tinues this  as  long  as  the  singing  is 
carried  on.  Then  he  approaches  one  of 
the  relatives  of  the  sick  man  and  an- 
nounces the  name  of  the  sorcerer.  With 
this  the  performance  ends. 

If  the  man  accused  of  witch-craft 
has  no  rich  or  prominent  relatives  or 
is  not  under  the  protection  of  some 
powerful  chief,  he  is  watched  for  a 
time  and  then  made  pri.soner.  His 
hands  are  tied  to  the  back  with  palms 
out.  A  cord  or  rope  is  tied  to  the  back 
portion  of  his  hair  and  tightened  so 
that  the  head  is  brought  back  toward 
his  hands.  In  this  position  he  is  left 
in  some  small  house  which  is  strongly 
guarded  from  the  outside.  The  unfor- 
tunate prisoner  remains  in  this  way, 
without  food  or  drink,  until  he  either 
confesses  or  dies  from  hunger  or  suf- 
fering. At  intervals  he  is  given  sea 
water  to  drink  which  only  enhances  his 
thrist.  He  is  interrogated:  "Was  it 
he  who  bewitched  the  man  and  by 
what  means?"  If  the  supposed  sor- 
cerer for  some  reason  confesses  to  the 
accusation  and  discloses  the  means  em- 
ployed, the  cord  binding  his  head  to  the 
hands  is  at  once  removed  and  he  is 
lead  under  strong  guard  to  the  place 
where  he  buried  the  articles  purloined. 
On  arriving  at  the  place  the  hands  are 
untied  and  the  sorcerer  is  made  to  dig 
for  the  witchcraft  articles  until  they 
are  found.  Upon  the  recovery  of  these 
objects  they  are  .spread  out  upon  a 
piece  of  bark  or  some  robe,  for  identi- 
fication. The  guard  and  all  present  do 
not  dare  touch  any  of  the  pieces  dis- 
played, but  examine  them  very  closely. 


Some  one  generally  recognizes  the  dif- 
ferent articles  as  belonging  to  the  sick 
man.  The  sorcerer  is  made  to  carry 
them  with  great  care  to  the  sea  shore 
always  under  guard.  Arriving  at  the 
water's  edge  the  witch  is  made  to  wade 
knee  deep  into  the  water.  Here  he 
stops  and  slowly  revolves  four  times 
holding  the  objects  before  him  and,  as 
he  turns  about,  he  touches  the  water  at 
inter\'als.  At  the  last  turn  he  immerses 
the  articles  held  in  his  hands  then  walks 
into  the  water  up  to  his  neck.  Here  he 
makes  four  complete  immersions  and 
after  each  one  says :  "Let  the  sick 
man  get  well  and  be  as  clean  as  I  who 
just  come  out  of  the  water."  Finally 
depositing  the  articles  at  the  bottom  of 
the  sea  he  comes  ashore.  This  con- 
cludes the  rite  of  the  healing  of  the 
sick.  The  Indians  claim  that  immed- 
iatelv  following  this  the  sick  person 
begins  to  mend  and  soon  regains  his 
health. 


TRADITIONS 


The  Indian  traditions  are  filled  with 
superstition  and  imagination. 

Natives  of  all  races  in  Alaska 
whether  North  or  East,  South  or  West, 
speak  in  their  traditions  of  a  flood  that 
took  place  in  some  remote  time,  ages 
back.  There  are  many  leeends  and 
stories  in  this  connection  for  which, 
unfortunately,  this  booklet  has  no 
spnce. 

Thunder,  lightning  and  earthquake 
an^  the  result  of  some  disturbance  caus- 
ed by  a  brother  and  sister  that  have 
once  inhabited  the  earth  and  who  still 
have  some  interest  in  the  world. 

There  once  lived  a  brother  and  sister 
upon  the  earth.  The  brother's  name 
was  Echo,  the  sister  was  called  "an  old 
woman  living  below."  (Agishanuku). 
For  some  reason  it  was  necessary  for 
them  to  part.  At  the  parting  the  broth- 
er said  to  his  sister:  "You  will  never 
see  me  again,  but  as  long  as  I  live,  you 


14 


ALASKA       1 1  I  S  T  O  11  I  C  A  T>       MUSEUM 


will  hear  me."  Then  he  took  the  skin 
of  some  large  bird,  like  the  Yethl,  and 
flew  away  to  the  Southeast,  beyond  the 
clouds.  After  bidding  her  brother  fare- 
well, the  sister  ascended  Mount  Edge- 
comb  close  to  Sitka,  and  suddenly  dis- 
appeared from  the  earth  going  through 
the  mountain.  In  proof  of  this  the  old 
natives  point  to  the  crater  on  Mount 
Edgecomb. 

Once  a  year  the  brother  visits  the 
mountain  and  in  order  to  acquaint  his 
sister  of  his  presence  he  shakes  his 
immense  wings  which  produce  the 
thunder.  The  lightning  is  the  glare  of 
his  eyes.  The  sister  is  by  far  the  most 
useful  of  the  two.  She  supports  the 
column  upon  which  the  earth  rests. 
The  old  Indians  assure  us  that  the 
earth  rests  upon  an  immense  post 
which  the  old  woman  below  guards, 
otherwise  the  earth  would  have  long 
ago  overturned  and  sank  into  the  sea. 
The  old  woman  is  immortal,  powerful 
and  very  watchful.  She  never  slumbers 
and  loves  the  Thlingit  people  because 
they  warm  the  ground  by  their  camp 
tires  which  prevent  her  from  getting 
cold. 

This  old  woman  is  very  powerful,  so 
much  so  that  she  is  able  to  oppose  the 
Yethl  himself,  who,  on  account  of  the 
transgressions  of  the  people  and  es- 
pecially for  bloodshed,  often  endeavors 
to  destroy  the  human  race,  and  during- 
his  anger  comes  to  the  old  woman  and 
tries  to  pull  her  away  from  the  post  by 
which  the  earth  is  supported,  but  is 
never  able  to  do  so.  This  struggle  be- 
tween the  old  woman  and  Yethl  is  the 
cause  of  the  earthquakes. 

The  bear  is  a  sort  of  a  man  beast,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  bear  was  once  a 
human  being,  and  is  one  now,  only  in 
the  shape  of  a  bear.  This  tradition  is 
supposed  to  have  originated  in  the 
story  of  a  chief's  daughter  who  was 
stolen  by  a  bear  for  a  short  period  but 
later  took  the  form  of  a  human  being. 


CUSTOMS 


To  speak  of  all  the  customs  among 
the  Thlingits  of  Southeastern  Alaska 
would  require  a  large  volume  in  itself. 
Only  the  most  striking  will  be  treated 
here. 

In  primitive  times  all  children  were 
born  outside  of  the  community  living 
house,  in  huts  constructed  rudely  of 
evergreen  boughs  or  in  small  tents. 
The  child  was  nourished  by  the 
mother's  milk  from  10  to  80  months. 
Solid  food  was  given  after  the  child 
reached  one  year  or  a  little  over.  The 
first  piece  of  solid  food  was  tallow  or 
blubber  from  some  sea  animal,  except- 
ing whale,  which  the  Thlingit  people 
did  not  use  for  food.  When  the  child 
began  to  toddle  it  was  bathed  in  the 
open  sea.  The  first  baths  were  admin- 
istered by  the  mother  or  the  father. 
Later,  as  the  child  grew  older  the  undo 
on  the  mother's  side  attended  to  this. 
On  very  frosty  mornings  in  the  dead  of 
winter,  the  male  child  was  taken  to 
the  beach  and  bathed.  Upon  emerging 
from  the  sea  the  uncle  switched  the 
boy  with  evergreen  branches  to  stimu- 
late circulation. 

A  girl  on  reaching  the  age  of  puber- 
ty was  at  once  incarcerated  in  a  dark 
room,  and  under  no  circumstances  was 
allowed  to  venture  out  into  the  oper>. 
No  one  outside  of  the  mother  and  the 
slave  in  attendance  was  permitted  to 
see  her.  Such  incarceration  lasted  for 
one  year  in  the  olden  times  and  from 
three  to  six  months  in  later  years. 


MARRIAGES 


Weddings  were  celebrated  according 
to  contract  between  the  parents  and 
the  groom  without  any  religious  cere- 
mony. 

Upon  selecting  his  intended  bride, 
the  bridegroom  sent  a  matchmaker  to 


A  I.  A  S  K  A        III  S  T  n  i; 


her  parents  with  an  oiler,  I'pun  rt- 
cfivinjr  the  a}  probation  of  the  p;irent- 
and  the  consent  of  the  bride  the  groom 
sent  his  future  nioth'.'r-in-hi\v  certain 
presents  and  then  proceed  d  to  carry 
out  the  necess-iry  arrangements  for  the 
wedding. 

The  man  in  ail  cases  s?lGcts  a  wilt 
from  the  opposite  phratry.  That  is. 
an  Indian  belonging  to  the  Raven  fam 
ily  or  subdivision  trikts  a  wife  from 
the  Wolf  family.  There  was  never  a 
case  where  the  two  contracting  parties 
belonged  to  the  same  tribe,  clan  or 
subdivision.  This  practice  is  carried 
out  even  to  this  day.  All  children  born 
to  the  married  couples  are  of  the 
mother's  clan.  The  father  belonging 
to  a  different  clan  does  not  claim  the 
children  but  gives  his  name,  rank  or 
title,  to  his  sister's  children,  as  they 
are  of  the  same  clan  as  he  is. 

On  the  day  agreed  upon  for  the  wed- 
ding, the  parents  of  the  bride  invite 
(heir  friends  and  relatives  and,  of 
course,  the  friends  of  those  with  whom 
(hey  are  to  make  an  alliance.  When 
all  are  assembled  the  bridegroom, 
(li-essed  in  his  best  attire,  st'^ps  forward 
and  sits  down  near  the  center  of  the 
liouse.  Those  present  begin  appro- 
priate singing  with  charact'uMstic  danc- 
ing suitable  to  the  occasion,  for  the 
purpose,  as  they  claim,  of  enticing  the 
bride  from  the  chamber,  where  she  has 
remained  dui'ing  (he  preliminary  exer- 
cises. When  the  songs  have  been 
chanted,  rich  blankets  and  furs  nr? 
spread  on  the  floor  leading  to  the 
bi'ide's  chamber.  The  bride  is  then  led 
(o  the  center  and  seated  to  the  right 
of  the  groom.  After  taking  her  plac 
she  remains  with  head  inclined  toward 
the  floor.  Here  the  singing  and  dancing 
begins  anew.  The  groom  and  the  bride 
do  not  take  part  in  this.  The  merry- 
making having  been  carried  out  to  a 
close  the  food  is  brought  out  in  trays 
and  dishes  and  served  to  the  guests. 
The  happy  couple  do  not  partake  of  any 


loud  lur  a  perioa  oi  iwo  da\  s.  At  the 
end  of  their  fast  they  are  given  a  small 
quantity  of  food  and  again  go  throug  i 
another  period  of  abstinence  for  a  lik.> 
period.  Thfs,  according  to  their  belief, 
insures  happiness  during  their  whole 
lives.  After  this  the  contracting  par- 
tics  are  allowed  to  have  their  own  will- 
If  the  husband  dies  his  brother  or 
his  nephew,  generally  the  latter,  is  ob 
ligcd  to  marry  the  widow.  This  was 
a  very  strict  unwritten  law  which  w.is 
inviolate,  for  if  any  one  dared  to  dis- 
regard it  he  was  obliged  to  answer  t  > 
the  clan  of  the  bride,  which  often  cul- 
minated in  serious  trouble.  For  that 
reason,  in  the  early  days,  there  were  so 
many  cases  where  a  youth  of  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  was  obliged  to  marry  a 
very  old  woman.  This  law  according  to 
the  Indian  interpretation  was  not  as 
harsh  as  it  seems.  They  claim  it  was 
beneficial  for  the  young  man  as  it  gave 
him  a  protector  and  counselor,  and  th'j 
old  wife  had  someone  to  help  her. 


ARTS  AND  CRAFTS 


111  order  to  fully  appreciate  the  abil- 
ity, cleverness  and  aptitude  of  th- 
Thlingits,  for  carving  wood-work, 
weaving  and  other  arts,  one  should 
carefully  observe  the  old  totems, 
canoes,  Chilkat  blankets  ami  baskets 
with  their  perfect  designs. 

When  you  consider  the  very  larg  > 
war  canoes  sixty  feet  long,  capable  of 
carrying  forty  and  fifty  men,  and  made 
from  a  single  log  without  any  addi- 
tional boards  or  planks,  there  ari.ses  a 
wonder  at  the  patience  and  ingenuity 
of  the  people.  Aside  from  its  capacity 
and  (itness  for  carrying  freight  and 
passengers,  and  the  case  with  which 
they  are  propelled,  there  are  certain 
degrees  of  buoyancy  and  speed  that 
can  only  be  found  in  boats  constructed 
by  the  best  boat-builders. 

The  blankets  and  mantles  made  from 
the  wool  of  mountain  goats  with  many 


16 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


intricate  figures  worked  in  various 
natural  colors,  obtained  from  minerals 
and  vegetable  matter,  and  all  done  by 
•  hand  work  without  the  use. of  any  ma- 
chine for  the  preparation  of  the  wool 
and  are  works  of  perfect  art,  your  won- 
der increases,  especially  when  one  con- 


siders that  the  art  is  of  their  own  in- 
vention. 

For  every  phenomenon  in  nature  the 
Thlingits  have  their  own  reasons,  their 
own  legends,  songs  and  interpretations. 
These  may  not  be  very  ingenious  in 
their  conception,  but  they  all  differ  one 
from  the  other, 


ALASKA        II  1  S  T  (1  i;  1  (•  A  I. 


M.  U  8  fci  Li  M 


i: 


Phe  Chilkat  Klanket 


Lieutenant  (Jeorpe  T.  Kmmons.  [' . 
S.  Navy,  who  has  made  a  very  exten- 
sive study  of  the  Thling-it  arts  and. 
particularly,  of  the  basket  and  blanket 
weaving,  in  his  work  on  the  Chilkat 
Blanket  writes: 

"The  distinctive  ceremonial  robi'  of 
the  several  native  tribes  of  the  North 
Pacific  Coast,  from  Vancouver  Island 
to  Prince  William  Sound,  i-^  commonly 
called  the  'Chilkat  P>lanket,'  an  ex- 
quisite piece  of  weaving  in  wool,  as 
harmonious  in  coloring  as  it  is  original 
in  design,  presenting  in  all  its  features 
the  highest  development  of  the  textile 
art  throughout  this  region,  and  com- 
paring favorably  with  the  best  pro- 
ducts of  other  lands. 

"From  the  testimony  of  those  best 
informed,  the  first  woven  blanket  was 
known  as  *Tahn'  or  'Thlaok-thlee' 
(worked  together  blanket),  a  com- 
bination of  twisted  cedar  bark  and  the 
wool  of  the  mountain  goat,  showing  a 
plain  white  field.  Then  followed  the 
introduction  of  color  in  geometric  de- 
sign in  which  longitudinal  stripes  of 
the  herring  pattern  appeared  on  the 
white  field.  Finally  the  crowning  eff"ort 
of  the  loom  was  evolved  in  the  present 
beautiful  robe. 

"Today  no  trace  of  this  beautiful  art 
is  to  be  found  among  the  Tsimshians. 
with  whom  it  originated,  nor  in  the 
country  of  the  more  southern  Thlingit, 
who  later  practiced  it.  Old  blankets 
are  still  preserved  by  them  packed 
away  in  cedar  chests  with  other  family 
treasures- 

"To  them  this  art  is  wholly  lost,  as 
though  it  had  never  been  theirs,  al- 
though, according  to  their  reckoning, 
only  four  generations  have  passed  sinc^ 
they  themselves  were  the  principal  pro- 
ducers. This  changed  condition  is  the 
result  of  civilization,  which  has  ever 
arrested    aboriginal    development     and 


stilted    native    genius,    degrading    the 
arts  to  mere  commercialism. 

"Three  elements  enter  into  the  con- 
struction of  the  robe, — the  wool  of  the 
mountain  goat,  of  which  the  blanket 
may  be  said  to  be  woven,  as  it  con- 
stitutes the  woof  and  th?  covering  of 
the  warp,  and  is  alone  visible;  sinew 
of  caribou  or  whale  twisted  into  a 
thread  by  means  of  which  the  divisions 
of  weave  are  united ;  the  inner  bark  of 
the  yellow  cedar  laid  up  in  a  two- 
stranded  cord,  and  forming  the  body  of 
the  warp.  When  the  latter  cannot  be 
obtained  the  bark  of  the  red  cedar  is 
substituted. 

"The  length  of  time  required  to 
weave  a  blanket  is  practically  six 
months,  while  the  preparation  of  the 
material  takes  as  long  if  not  longer, 
that  is,  a  weaver  turns  out  on  an  aver- 
age, one  blanket  a  year. 

"The  purpose  of  the  blanket  is  that 
of  a  ceremonial  robe.  Its  great  value 
in  early  days  placed  it  beyond  the  reach 
of  any  but  the  wealthy,  so  it  became 
a  necessary  part  of  chief's  dress  upon 
particular  occasions. 

"The  design  on  the  blanket  is  always 
animal  or  bird  in  form,  and  totemic  in 
character,  and  it  is  through  this  sys- 
tem of  picture  writing  in  the  graphic 
and  the  plastic  arts  that  the  history 
of  these  people  has  been  preserved  and 
transmitted   through   centuries." 

"The  dominant  feature  of  this  coast  is 
the  symbol  of  family.  Its  expression 
is  fantastic  and  full  of  color.  It  is 
visible  on  the  house  fronts,  the  inter- 
ior supports  and  partitions,  the  canoe 
and  the  paddle,  articles  of  dress  and 
ornaments,  implements  of  the  chase 
and  arms,  even  down  to  the  most 
trivial  household  articles.  This  is  most 
natural,  as  the  family  or  clan  is  the 
unit  of  social  and  political  life.  The 
prevailing  system  of  matriarchy  clearly 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


19 


establishes  the  succession.^the  broth- 
ers follow  each  other,  or  the  nephew  of 
the  maternal  uncle.  Substitution  is 
never  permitted,  so  doubt  cannot  exist. 
Union  within  the  family  is  impf)ssible, 
for  all  like  totems  are  considered  as 
brothers  and  sisters,  although  they 
may  be  separated  by  hundreds  of  miles, 
with  no  single  drop  of  blorjd  in  com- 
mon, and  may  not  even  know  each 
other's  existence;  totem  is  thus  a 
birthright,  as  real  as  life  itself.  The 
personal  guardian  spirit  may  in  ex- 
treme cases  be  destroyed,  or  driven 
:^way  from  its  trust;  but  no  act  can 
ever  ch-mge  the  relationship  of  the 
Thlingit  to  his  clan.  Individuality  exists 
only  within  the  family.  Beyond  this 
limit  every  act  affects  the  body  politic, 
and  not  infreciuently  one  wholly  inno- 
cent is  called  to  give  life  itself  for  the 
honor  of  the  clan,  in  atonement  for  the 
act  of  another  unworthy  of  the  sacri- 
fice. Such  conditions  tended  to  bring 
the  families  into  constant  relations 
with  one  another.  While  intermarriage, 
association,  and  the  love  of  entertain- 
ment made  for  friendship,  disputes,  in- 
juries and  feuds  were  nevertheless,  per- 
petually recurring  and  these  two  di- 
verse interests  are  responsible  for  a 
very  perfect  code  of  unwritten  laws, 
the  execution  of  which  involved  the 
public  meeting  of  the  families,  and  out 
of  which  has  grown  a  most  complex 
and  elaborate  ceremonial,  having  for 
its  end  the  display  of  the  totem  in  the 
glorification  of  ancestry.  And  so  the 
blanket  robe,  elaborate  in  ornamenta- 
tion, pleasing  in  color  effect,  but  above 
Mil  a  vehicle  for  exhibition  of  the  em- 
blem of  clan." 

The  museum  in  its  collection  has  on.' 
specimen  of  the  Chilkat  Blanket  made 
from  the  mountain  goat  wool.  Tt  meas- 
ures five  feet  nine  inches  in  length  and 
four  feet  in  width,  including  the  fringe. 

The  design,  according  to  Lieutenant 
Geo.  T.  Emmons,  probably  represents  a 
bird.  The  two  double  eyes  in  the  mid- 
dle, near  the  upper  border,  arc  the  eyes 


of  the  bird;  the  human  face  in  the 
middle  is  the  body;  the  two  eyes  in  the 
middle  at  the  bottom  are  the  hip  joint-* 
to  which  are  joined  the  thighs  and  the 
feet;  the  two  inverted  double  eyes  at 
the  sides  of  the  body  with  adjoining 
wing  designs  are  the  wings  of  the 
bird;  the  tail  seems  to  be  represented 
by  the  eye  design  in  the  upper  corners ; 
the  human  faces  in  profile  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  sides  are  analogous  to  the 
human  faces  in  similar  positions  occur- 
ring in  the  lateral  n«'ld<  of  other 
blankets. 


TRE.VSl'RE    CHESTS,    I OOI)    BOXES 
.\M)   DRl  MS 


The  mu.seum  has  in  its  collection 
specimens  of  this  wood  craft  dating 
back  to  the  age  when  metal  nails  were 
unknown  to  the  Thlingit  people.  The 
construction  in  each  case  is  alike.  They 
are  all  made  from  one  board  for  the 
sides  and  the  bottom  is  attached  by 
split  spruce  or  willow  roots, 

A  long  board  is  hewn  out  and 
smoothed  to  form  the  sides  of  the  box. 
After  the  length  and  breadth  has  been 
determined  the  portion  where  the  com- 
ers are  to  be  is  cut  half  through  the 
thickness  of  the  board  in  a  V  shaped 
incision.  When  steamed  and  bent  the 
wider  part  of  the  V  cut  comes  together 
very  closely,  thus  forming  a  well-fitting 
corner  on  the  inside  and  a  partly 
rounded  smooth  corner  on  the  outside. 
The  two  ends  of  the  board  are  brought 
together  to  form  the  last  comer,  which 
is  sewn  together  with  split  spruce  or 
alder  roots.  The  bottom  is  then  at- 
tached, the  material  is  partly  cut  so  as 
to  make  the  inside  part  fit  well  into  the 
box  with  the  outside  edge  projecting  to 
the  outer  edge  of  the  box.  This  board 
is  also  sewn  to  the  sides. 

The  sides  of  the  box  are  painted  or 
carved  with  elaborate  totemic  decora- 
tions- The  large  box  in  the  collection, 
secured  from  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  is 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


21 


especially  well  carved  with  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  "Goonakatate."  This 
represents  a  monster  which  lives  in 
the  sea.  It  is  partly  tish  and  partly 
animal.  It  is  very  seldom  seen  and 
only  appears  to  very  few  fortunate 
mortals.  Those  who  were  able  to  see 
il  were  especially  fortunate  in  all  their 
undertakings. 

The  smaller  box  without  decorations 
is  a  wonderful  work  of  woodcraft  and 
its  construction  is  almost  perfect.  The 
cover  is  beautifully  made  from  one 
piece  and  hollowed  out  to  fit  the  box. 
It  is  of  great  age  and  was  originally 
used  as  a  chest  for  moose  skin  armor. 

The  great  wooden  drums  used  in 
ceremonial  dances  and  potlatches  are 
made  in  the  same  way. 


EATING    DISHES 


These  are  carved  out  from  one  piece 
of  wood.  They  are  of  different  sizes 
used  for  many  purposes.  The  larger 
ones  were  used  as  eating  dishes  on  pot- 
latches.  A  large  portion  of  food  was 
heaped  into  the  dish  and  served  to  two 
or  three  honored  guests  at  a  time.  The 
one  who  consumed  the  largest  amount 
of  food  in  the  given  time  was  respected 
above  the  rest. 

In  the  collection  there  is  one  dish, 
pi'ocured  from  Dyea,  and  which,  ac- 
('()rding  to  well  informed  natives,  or- 
iginated in  the  Hydah  country,  is  a 
ceremonial  eating  dish,  called  "Kah- 
l\ah-neh  tsikh,"  used  in  potlatches  and 
great  feasts.  It  is  made  in  the  same 
way  as  the  treasure  chests  and  drums 
This  specimen  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
lilul  of  its  kind  with  elaborately  carved 
and  colored  sides  done  in  natural  min- 
eral colors.  The  carving  represents 
Goonahkatate,  the  sea  monster. 

THE  WOLF  CEREMONIAL 
BLANKET 


inent  native  chief  of  Sitka.  Such  blan- 
kets are  called  in  the  native  tongue — 
Nakhen.  This  one  was  made  in  1903 
for  a  potlatch  given  by  the  Chilkat 
people  to  the  Sitka  Kokwantahn  tribe. 
It  is  a  copy  of  the  original  blanket 
made  some  four  generations  ago  by  the 
Chief  Steu-woo-kah  in  celebration  of 
the  first  Wolf  totem  acquired  by  the 
Kokwantahns  The  Wolf  totem  orig- 
inated at  Yakutat,  a  village  under  the 
shadow  of  Mount  St.  Elias,  and  was 
brought  to  a  village  in  Icy  Straits  by 
the  Kokwantahns. 

The  blanket  is  made  from  red  Eng- 
lish billiard  cloth  with  the  Wolf  totem 
worked  out  in  strips  of  black  cloth. 
The  eyes,  ears,  tongue  and  part  of  the 
claws  are  worked  out  in  beads.  When 
the  blanket  is  worn  the  figure  of  the 
Wolf  totem  covers  the  back  of  th<' 
wearer.  The  front  is  fringed  with 
buck-skin  strips. 


ARMOR  SHIRTS 


Before  the  introduction  of  fire  arms 
Thlingit  warfare  was  conducted  with 
bows  and  arrows,  spears  and  fighting 
knives.  For  protection  against  all  mis- 
siles and  arms  the  native  warrior  wore 
armor  shirts  made  from  thick  moose 
hide  and  other  substances. 

There  are  three  such  armor  shirts 
in  the  collection.  The  armor  shirt  is 
made  like  a  sleeveless  jacket  from 
thick  leather.  One  of  the  specimens 
is  lined  with  sole  leather  making  a 
double  thickness  in  the  fore-part  of  the 
jacket. 


This  specimen  was  presented  to  thd 
museum  by  David  Kahnkeetah,  a  prom- 


WAR  HELMETS  AND  CLAN  CREST 
HATS 

P^ach  tribe  has  its  definite  order  of 
rank  within  the  division  of  th?  clan 
and  is  characterized  by  the  ownership 
of  special  crest  hats.  The  animals  of 
land  and  sea,  birds  and  fishes,  are  used 
to  represent  individual  clan  emblems 
or  crests;  all  are  repre.*?ented  in  carv- 
ings  and   paintings   on   totems,   house- 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


23 


pillars,  helmets,  blankets  and  ceremon- 
ial hats.  The  totems  and  house  pillar> 
bearing  the  clan's  crest  were  placed 
either  in  front  of  the  house  or  inside 
of  the  community  houses,  while  thf 
helmets  and  ceremonial  hats  were  used 
on  special  occasions,  such  as  peace 
dances,  potlatches  and  during  the  re- 
ception of  honored  guests.  All  these 
objects  are  classed  as  community  pr.)p- 
erty  and  descend  from  the  chief  cus- 
todian to  his  nephew  on  the  sister's 
side.  The  heir  is  not  the  son  but  the 
nephew  as  was  explained  above.  The 
name  of  the  clan  is  perpetuated  by  the 
mother  as  the  son  is  not  of  the  same 
phratry  as  the  father. 

The  museum  was  unable  to  procure 
the  original  crest  hats,  as  they  are  still 
religiously  kept  in  trust  for  the  clan, 
but  has  two  models  which  are  very  well 
executed  and  are  excellent  copies  of 
the  originals. 

The  eagle  crest  hat  is  owned  by  the 
division  of  the  Kokwantahn  tribe  mak- 
ing its  home  at  Sitka.  According  to 
the  present  custodian  of  the  eagle  crest 
hat,  the  original  hat  was  made  at 
Cock-noo-woo,  a  village  long  ago  aband- 
oned and  dates  about  six  generations 
back. 

The  Wolf  crest  hat  belongs  to  the 
Wolf  clan  of  the  Kokwantahns  and, 
as  already  mentioned,  was  the  crest 
adopted  by  the  mo.st  numerous  tribe  of 
the  Kanooks. 


THE   CEREMONIAL   RATTLE 


These  rattles  are  used  by  Thlingits 
as  accompaniment  to  their  songs  dur- 
ing festival  or  ceremonial  dances.  They 
can  be  used  by  any  leader  of  the  dance 
irrespective  of  his  rank. 

The  rattles  are  round  and  have  a 
shape  of  a  bird,  which  carried  a  num- 
ber of  figures  on  its  back.  The  speci- 
mens in  the  museum  represent  the 
raven.     A  reclining  figure  of  a  man  is 


placed  on  its  back.  The  knees  of  this 
figure  are  raised  and  grasped  by  the 
hands.  A  bird's  head  is  represented  on 
the  tail  of  the  raven,  holding  a  frog 
in  its  mouth,  which  in  turn  is  con- 
nected by  its  tongue  to  the  mouth  of 
the  reclining  tigure.  The  face  of  a 
hawk  is  carved  on  the  belly  of  the 
raven. 

"The  primary  idea  underlying  the 
form  of  rattle  seems  to  have  been  lost 
since  the  only  explanation  that  has 
ever  been  given  by  the  northern  In- 
dians is  to  the  effect  that  it  was  given 
to  their  ancestors  by  a  supernatural 
being.  (Franz  Boaz. — In  the  social  or- 
ganization and  the  secret  societies  of 
the  Kwakiutl  Indians.) 


POTLATCH 


In  explanation  of  this  custom  that 
has  been  so  often  described  and  thor- 
oughly misunderstood  by  observers  and 
writers,  it  may  be  well  to  mention  that 
the  underlying  principle  of  a  potlatch 
is  the  method  of  acquiring  rank  or  a 
name  of  a  dead  ancestor.  It  is  an  in- 
terest bearing  investment  of  property  . 
Teachers  and  reformers  through  lack 
of  sufficient  knowledge  have  ever  con- 
demned this  practice  on  the  plea  that 
it  was  uncivilized  and  produced  want. 
However,  many  potlatches  were  purely 
social  in  purpose,  intended  only  to  in- 
crease the  reputation  of  the  giver  and 
to  advance  his  standing  in  the  com- 
munity. 

In  big  potlatches  each  person  re- 
ceiving a  present  was  obliged  to  return 
double  the  amount  given  in  one  to  five 
years,  so  that  the  giver  really  was  as- 
sured of  a  pension  from  the  date  of  the 
I' ot latch.  In  former  years  there  were 
many  very  prominent  and  highly  hon- 
ored chiefs,  who  in  their  youthful  years 
by  giving  big  potlatches,  were  able  to 
live  in  affluence  and  ease  for  the  rest 
of  their  lives-  In  other  words  they 
were  drawing  big  interest  on  their 
property  investment. 


26 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


Thlingit  Baskets 


The  most  beautifully  woven  baskets, 
from  spruce  roots  with  perfect  de- 
signs in  colors,  are  the  baskets  made 
by  the  Thlingits.  Lieutenant  Emmons, 
in  his  writings  about  the  origin  and 
antiquity  of  the  Thlingit  basketry, 
gives  an  interesting  little  legend  upon 
this  subject: 

"In  the  early  days  of  the  world, 
when  spirits  were  seen  of  men,  there 
Jived  in  the  clouds  a  woman  whose 
daughter  possessed  such  beauty  that 
she  was  the  desire  of  all  mortals.  Their 
wooing,  however,  was  in  vain,  until  one 
day  the  sun  looked  into  her  eyes,  and 
kissed  her  with  his  soft  breath;  and 
when  his  day's  labor  was  ended,  he 
sought  her  in  the  form  of  a  man,  and 
took  her  to  be  his  wife.  For  long 
years  they  lived  happily  together,  and 
many  children  came  to  them;  but  these 
were  of  the  earth,  and  their  future 
filled  the  mother's  mind  with  anxiety. 
One  day,  sitting  idly  thinking,  she 
picked  up  some  strands  of  a  root,  and 
carelessly  plaited  them  together,  twist- 
ing them  in  and  out  until  a  small  bas- 
ket was  formed.  The  sun  increased  its 
size  until  it  was  large  enough  to  con- 
tain the  mother  and  her  eight  children, 
and  in  it  they  were  lowered  to  the 
earth  near  Yakutat.  This  was  the  first 
basket  and  from  it  was  learned  the  art 
of  weaving."  (The  basketry  of  the 
Thlingit,  by  Lieut.  Geo.  T.  Emmons.) 

"While  the  origin  of  basketry  must 
ever  remain  a  myth,  its  birthplace  is  al- 
ways conceded  to  have  been  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Bering  Bay  under  the  shad- 
ows of  Mount  St.  Elias,  among  the 
Thlah-hah-yeek-quan,  more  commonly 
known  as  the  Yakutat  people."  (Ibid, 
page  30.) 

The  basket  was  used  for  manifold 
purposes.  It  was  used  as  a  kettle  and 
the  water  bucket.  By  filling  the  basket 
with  water  into  which  heated  stones 
were  dropped,  steam  was  generated  and 


suflt"icient  heat  produced  to  cook  the 
food  by  covering  the  top  of  the  basket 
and  allowing  it  to  stand.  The  basket 
was  used  for  storing  away  clothing 
and  other  articles  at  home  and  as  a 
trunk  in  traveling- 
Many  of  the  baskets  are  decorated 
with  geometrical  designs.  It  is  hard 
to  determine  the  origin  and  the  age  of 
the  designs.  The  designs  are  used  for 
decorative  purposes  alone  and  in  some 
of  the  recent  baskets  totemic  designs 
are  apparent. 

Difl'erent  districts  and  localities  in 
Southeastern  Alaska  at  one  time  and 
another  held  their  places  in  the  best 
production  of  fine  baskets.  The  art  de- 
pended, to  a  great  extent,  upon  the  in- 
dividual weaver.  As  the  Thlingit  na- 
tive was  a  great  traveler,  he  carried 
his  wares  to  distant  places  or  pur- 
chased those  of  other  tribes,  so  that 
the  form  and  design  became  common  to 
all  sections  of  the  country  through 
copying  of  form  and  design.  In  years 
past  Yakutat  held  the  first  place  in 
basketry,  later  very  beautiful  weaves 
and  patterns  with  rich  colors  and  de- 
sign were  met  with  at  Hoonah,  Chilkat, 
Sitka  and  other  places. 

In  gathering  and  selecting  the  mater- 
ial for  baskets  much  care  and  deep 
knowledge  was  required.  The  best  roots 
from  the  spruce  trees  of  three  and  four 
feet  in  diameter  were  obtained.  The 
season  for  gathering  the  roots  was  in 
the  spring  or  early  summer,  for  during 
this  season  the  root  had  a  uniform 
color  and  the  bark  could  easily  be 
stripped  without  injuring  the  exterior. 
In  summer  the  root  was  not  suitable 
as  the  bark  could  not  be  removed  with- 
out injury  to  the  surface.  Great  skill 
is  necessary  for  removing  the  bark,  for 
that  reason  this  operation  was  per- 
formed by  an  elderly  woman  skilled 
in  such  work.  Before  splitting  the  root 
it  was  soaked  in  water  to  soften  it  and 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


27 


then  the  operation  of  splitting  was  jter- 
formed  with  a  special  knife  made  for 
the  purpose.  The  strands  were  selected 
according-  to  size  and  quality  which, 
when  used  in  weaving,  produced  a  per- 
fect line-  Since  the  influx  of  the  white 
people  into  the  Territory  and  the  great 
demand  for  baskets  by  tourists,  the  art 
of  basket  making  has  greatly  deter- 
iorated. The  material  is  not  selected 
with  as  great  care  as  in  former  years ; 
the  process  of  seasoning  is  consider- 
ably shortened ;  the  time  for  gathering 


the  material  is  not  considered  and  in 
consequence  the  quality  of  the  fiber  is 
not  as  smooth  and  glo.ssy  as  it  is  in  the 
old  baskets,  which  were  made  for 
beauty  and  not  commercial  purposes. 

In  former  years  the  colors  for  the 
decorative  designs  were  obtained  from 
vegetable  and  mineral  substances,  but 
with  the  introduction  of  the  aniline 
dyes,  so  easily  procured,  the  tedious 
process  of  the  preparation  of  the  native 
colors  is  almost,  if  not  altogether,  for- 
gotten. 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


29 


The  Age  and  Orij^in  of  the 
Aleutian  People 


Just  at  this  portion  of  the  descrip- 
tive boutclet  it  would  be  of  interest  to 
mention  the  native  people  inhabiting 
the  northern  Coast  of  Alaska  Penin- 
sula, from  Cape  StroganotF  westward, 
and  its  southern  coast  from  Pavlof  Bay 
westward,  the  Shumagin  Islands,  and 
(he  whole  group  known  as  the  Aleutian 
chain,  extending  from  Isanotski  Straits 
in  the  east  to  the  island  of  Attn  in  the 
west.  Of  the  origin  of  the  Aleut  we 
have  no  very  distinct  tradition.  The 
most  careful  observer  of  the  Aleutian 
people  was  the  Russian  missionary. 
Father  Veniaminoff,  who  resided  on  the 
Aleutian  Islands  from  1824  to  1834, 
and  who  wrote  understandingly  of 
their  manners,  customs  and  traditions. 
A  few  extracts,  in  translation  inserted 
here  will  be  of  great  interest: 

"To  express  a  definite  or  authorita- 
tive opinion  on  the  subject  would  be 
impossible,  because  there  is  no  definite 
information  concerning  it;  opinions 
must  be  necessarily  based  upon  guess- 
work up  to  traditions  of  the  Aleuts 
themselves  and  local   indications. 

"Were  these  islands  always  inhab- 
ited, and  who  were  the  first  inhabi- 
tants— Aleuts  or  another  people?  At 
the  first  glance  upon  the  islands  of 
the  Unalaska  district,  devoid  of  timber 
and  poor  in  products  of  the  land,  it 
becomes  evident  that  the  present 
Aleuts  must  be  the  first  inhabitants; 
and  it  would  also  appear  that  they  did 
not  settle  here  very  long  ago.  The 
traditions  of  the  formation  of  these 
islands  are  not  very  clear,  but  we  en- 
counter at  every  step  the  traces  of  vol- 
canic revolutions  of  comparatively  re- 
cent date.  Traces  of  villages  have 
scarcely  been  touched  by  time,  and 
whenever  the  old  men  point  to  a  spot 
where  a  village  existed  in  former  times, 


we  can  still  perceive  the  groundwork 
of  the  huts,  and  even  the  holes  for  sea- 
soning the  fish,  and  a  luxuriant  growth 
of  grasses  plainly  indicating  the  extent 
of  the  former  settlements  ;therefore  we 
may  conclude  that  the  islands  have  not 
been  inhabited  very  long,  and  that  the 
present  Aleuts  are  the  first  race  that 
settled  upon  them. 

"P^'rom  whence  came  the  Aleuts  to 
these  islands — from  America  or  from 
Asia?  The  traditions  of  the  Aleuts, 
chiefly  transmitted  in  songs,  say  that 
the  Aleuts  came  from  the  West,  near 
the  great  land,  then  Aliakhe-khak  or 
Tanam  Anguna.  which  was  their  orig- 
inal habitation,  and  that  they  migrated 
from  there  to  these  islands,  and  then 
gradually  extended  eastward  and  fin- 
ally penetrated  to  the  present  Alask  i 
Peninsula. 

"The  rrigration  of  the  Aleuts  from 
the  westward  may  be  accepted  as  a 
fact ;  and  even  if  the  mainland  of  Asia 
and  the  Aleutian  islands  wer;>  always 
at  the  same  distance  from  each  other 
that  they  are  now,  the  island  of  Bering 
is  visible  in  clear  weather  from  Kam- 
chatka, and  from  Bering  the  near 
islands,  and  from  them  many  islands 
can  be  sighted  at  once.  And  this  would 
indicate  the  route  of  the  migration.  As 
to  the  mode  of  conveyance  by  which 
the  Aleuts  made  their  way  from  the 
continent,  it  is  most  probable  that  they 
traveled  in  canoes  and  bidarkas,  since 
in  former  times  the  weather  was  very 
much  finer  during  the  summer  and 
clearer  than  it  is  now.  Such  journeys 
from  the  Kamchatkan  shore  to  the 
Aleutian  islands  were  accomplished 
even  after  the  ships  had  commenced 
to  make  the  voyages.  However,  in 
seeming  refutation  of  this  surmise,  the 
following  can  be  set  up:  if  the  Aleuts 


30 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


came  from  Kamchatka  or  Japan,  over 
the  Kurile  islands,  there  should  be 
some  similarity  retained  either  in  lan- 
guage, customs  or  the  mode  of  life  be- 
tween them  and  the  coast  people  of 
Asia.  Or,  at  any  rate,  the  Aleuts 
should  bear  greater  resemblance  to  the 
Asiatics  than  to  the  American  Indians; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  the  Fox  Island 
Aleuts,  in  their  appearance,  mode  of 
life  and  customs,  resemble  more  closely 
the  North  American  native,  especially 
the  Kodiaks,  so  much  that  the  Aleut 
language  (though  entirely  different 
from  that  of  the  surrounding  tribes) 
is  of  one  construction  with  Kodiaks  and 
is  known  to  all  tribes  inhabiting  the 
coast  of  North  America,  and  even  the 
language  of  the  Chugaches  (Prince 
William  Sound  natives)  is  a  branch  of 
it.  There  does  not  seem  to  be  any 
similarity  between  it  and  the  Japanese 
language  so  far  as  I  was  able  to  find 
out  from  the  Japanese  who  visited 
Sitka. 

"But  even  this  could  be  explained  bj 
the  following  surmise :  Supposing  that 
the  Aleuts  and  other  Americans,  speak- 
ing the  Kodiak  language  had,  at  some 
time,  before  their  migration  to  Amer- 
ica, lived  in  close  proximity;  the  for- 
mer to  the  southward  and  closer  to 
Kamchatka,  and  the  latter  to  the 
northward  and  nearer  to  Cape  Chuk- 
otsk.  But  in  time,  being  pressed  by 
other  tribes,  they  were  compelled  to 
migrate  to  their  present  location;  the 
first  from  Kamchatka  to  Bering  Island 
and  farther  on,  and  the  latter,  probably 
much  earlier,  across  the  Bering  Strait 
to  America  and,  perhaps,  by  a  route 
already  opened  by  other  people  as — 
Koloshas,  the  Indians,  Mexicans  and 
others. 

"In  physiognomy  the  Aleuts  re- 
semble the  Japanese.  This  compels  me 
to  think  that  they  are  of  the  Mongol- 
ian race.  Taking  this  for  granted,  it 
can  be  surmised  that  the  Aleuts  orig- 
inated on  the  mainland,  near  Japan,  and 
being  pressed  by  other  people,  moved 


toward  northeast,  along  the  Kurile 
group  and,  finally  in  Kamchatka,  having 
come  in  contact  with  other  people  of 
Kodiak  races,  or  Kodiak  people  them- 
selves, or  seeing  that  farther  north  the 
country  was  less  abundant  in  food  ani- 
mals, they  were  compelled  to  retrace 
their  way  to  the  Aleutian  islands  by 
the  route  described." 


AN  ORIENTAL  STONE  LAMP 
(See    111  list  rat  ion    Page    31.) 


As  a  connecting  link  between  the 
Orient  and  Alaska,  the  museum  has  in 
its  collection  a  most  interesting  and 
one  of  the  most  important  specimens 
on  display — a  ceremonial  vessel  or  a 
stone  lamp,  beautifully  designed,  very 
symmetrical  in  general  outline  and 
oval-shaped  like  a  melon  seed.  The  di- 
mensions are, — length  twelve  and  half 
inches,  breadth  eleven  inches,  height 
five  inches,  and  having  a  circumference 
of  thirty-five  inches  and  hollowed  to  a 
depth  of  one  and  one-half  inches. 

It  is  very  carefully  wrought  and  fine- 
ly finished.  Just  below  the  rim,  fol- 
lowing the  complete  circumference  is  a 
groove  which  may  have  been  for  orna- 
mentation or  more  likely  to  carry  a 
cord  or  wire  to  which  were  attached 
means  for  suspension.  The  outer  con- 
tours would  indicate  that,  as  there  is 
no  flat  surface  for  it  to  rest  upon. 

At  the  front  or  narrow  part  of  the 
oval  is  a  lip  slightly  hollowed  from  the 
rim  which  probably  carried  the  wick, 
and  running  back  therefrom  to  the  hol- 
low of  the  bowl  in  a  straight  line,  is  a 
groove.  Beneath  the  lip  and  looking 
toward  it  is  a  human  face  in  relief  sug- 
gesting the  sun  or  source  of  light.  Near 
the  rear  of  the  bowl  there  rises  from 
the  bottom  a  Buddha-like  figure  with 
forearms  and  hands  extended  along  the 
surface  toward  the  lip  or  light  and 
with  gaze  fixed  upon  it.  Flanking  the 
image  on  either  side  and  in  the  rear, 


32 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


in  groups  of  three,  are  relief  images 
having  animal  heads  resembling  the 
jackal  or  dog,  with  necks  extending 
into  the  bowl  and  with  human  arms 
and  legs  on  the  outside. 

This  vessel  was  turned  up  in  plowing 
by  Mr.  Charles  Ulanky  on  June  15, 
1913,  while  breaking  virgin  soil  on  his 
homestead,  on  Fish  Creek,  about  four 
miles  from  Knik,  Cook  Inlet,  Alaska. 
It  was  found  at  a  depth  of  about  one 
foot.  At  the  same  time  and  place  Mr. 
Ulanky  uncovered  several  skeletons  and 
small  trinkets,  which  led  him  to  believe 
the  place  to  be  the  site  of  an  old  Indian 
village  or  burying  place.  The  vessel 
is  clearly  not  of  Aleut,  or  Eskimo  craft 
as  neither  of  these  peopb  have  been 
known  to  produce  any  utensils  resem- 
bling this.  Doubtless  it  is  of  Asiatic 
origin  and  was  brought  to  the  Alaskan 
coast  in  prehistoric  times- 

In  the  May  issue  of  "Asia"  for 
1920  in  an  article  edited  by  Mr.  Stew- 
art Culin,  there  appears  a  translation  of 
the  Japanese  story  of  the  wreck  of 
the  "Ukamija  Maru"  which  may  bear 
some  remote  connection  with  the  above 
described  vessel  being  found  in  Alaska. 

In  1793  .some  sailors  of  Sendai,  hav- 
ing loaded  their  vessel  and  set  sail 
from  the  port  of  Ishono  Maki  on  the 
27th  of  the  eleventh  month,  met  a 
storm  in  the  open  sea.  They  drifted 
about  for  several  months  and  lost  all 


sense  of  direction.  Finally  on  tenth  day 
of  the  eighth  month  they  sighted  land. 
The  ship  drifted  toward  the  southwest 
end  of  an  island  (Unalaska),  which 
was  covered  with  snow.  The  coast  was 
so  precipitous  with  projecting  rocks 
that  they  could  not  approach  it.  In 
recounting  their  adventure  they  state: 
"We  anchored  among  the  rocks,  low- 
ered a  boat  and,  carrying  the  god  of 
the  ship  with  other  small  belongings 
in  our  hands,  the  sixteen  of  us  landed 
on  the  island  at  thres  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon."  The  ship  was  shattered  by 
the  waves  and  only  some  few  planks 
remained.  After  ten  days  of  fruitless 
search  for  human  habitation,  the  sur- 
vivors launched  their  boat  and  started 
north.  They  followed  the  coast  for 
two  days,  and  at  last  found  shelter. 
They  met  about  thirty  islanders  who 
took  care  of  them  until  relieved  by  the 
Russians.  Here  they  remained  for  ten 
months,  then  were  taken  to  Irkutsk, 
where  they  remained  for  eight  years 
in  care  of  district  officers.  They  were 
then  transported  to  St.  Petersburg. 
From  there  in  1805,  on  the  ship  Maria, 
with  Chamberlain  of  the  Tzar,  Nicholas 
Resanoff  on  board,  they  were  delivered 
to  Japan. 

May  there  not  have  been  other  Jap- 
anese junks,  in  ages  gone  by  driven 
out  of  their  course  and  wrecked  on  the 
Aleutian  islands? 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


33 


Dr.  Neuman's  Eskimo  Collection 


This  collection  is  housed  in  the  first 
balcony  of  the  A.  B.  building.  The 
specimens  are  very  rare  and  some  date 
back  to  the  paleolithic  age.  The  cul- 
ture of  these  interesting  natives  of  the 
North  can  be  traced  to  the  later  age 
by  the  specimens  on  display  in  the 
museum. 

Before  taking  up  the  descriptive 
work  of  the  many  specimens  of  the 
Eskimo  race,  it  will  be  well  to  go  into 
a  short  sketch  of  the  distribution  of 
the  Eskimo  people.  Dr.  E.  W.  Nelson. 
of  the  Biological  Survey,  in  .speaking  of 
the  Eskimo  says:  'The  Eskimauan 
family  or  stock  constitutes  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  peoples  of  ths  world. 
They  are  noteworthy  as  the  most 
northerly  and  most  characteristically 
Arctic  inhabitants  of  America  and  part 
of  Eurasia.  Their  range  skirts  on  the 
coasts  of  the  Arctic  water  from  Green- 


land to  Siberia,  and  along  the  coast  of 
Bering  Sea.  They  are  remarkable  for 
close  similarity  throughout  their  exten- 
sive range  in  language,  beliefs,  indu.s- 
tries  and  equally  remarkable  dissimil- 
arity from  neighborhood  peoples  of 
other  families.  They  manifest  special 
capacity  for  endurance  of  cold  and  wet, 
deftness  in  making  and  handling  water 
craft,  ability  for  forced  marches 
through  sun  and  storm,  skill  in  im- 
provising shelter,  etc. 

''The.  Eskimo  penetrates  the  Interior 
of  the  country  to  the  forested  region 
along  the  courses  of  the  larger  streams 
Their  range  into  the  interior  is  mainly 
along  the  Kuskokwim.  Yukon.  Kowak 
and  Noatak  rivers.  On  all  of  these 
streams  they  are  found  several  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  coast,  and  at  their 
upper  limits  are  in  direct  contact  with 
the  Athabaskan  or  Tinne  tribes." 


Hunting  Implements— Bows  and  Arrows 


"In  former  times,  before  the  intro- 
duction of  firearms,  the  bow  was  the 
only  projectile  weapon  which  these 
people  pos.sessed  that  could  be  used  at 
a  longer  range  than  the  harpoon  or  the 
spear.  It  was  accordingly  used  for 
hunting  the  bear,  the  wolf,  and  the 
caribou,  and  for  shooting  birds,  and  in 
case  of  necessity,  for  warfare.  It  is 
worthy  of  note,  in  this  connection,  as 
showing  that  the  use  of  the  bow  for 
fighting  was  only  a  .secondary  considera- 
tion, that  none  of  their  arrows  are 
regular  "war  arrows"  like  thos?  made 
by  the  plains  Indians-  Fire  arms  have 
now  almost  completely  superseded  the 
bow  for  actual  work." 

Most  of  the  bows  in  the  collection 
were  made  from  driftwood.  The  speci- 
mens on  exhibition  represent  diff'erent 


makes  from  the  Arctic  region  to  Nuni- 
vak  Island.  Those  with  double  curves 
are  from  Victoria  Land.  They  are 
strongly  reinforced  with  sinew  or  raw 
hide  wrappings.  Aside  from  the  sinew- 
reinforcement,  they  have  bone  or  ivory 
plates  under  the  wrappings.  One  bow 
in  this  collection  is  made  from  the 
horns  of  mu.sk  oxen.  It  is  made  in  four 
pieces  and  .strongly  reinforced  with 
sinew  wrappings  and  pieces  of  ivory 
under  the  wrappings.  Those  that  are 
broad  and  heavy,  backed  with  a  single 
cable  of  sinews  are  from  the  Ku.sko- 
kwim  River  district. 
Arrows. 

All  arrows  in  the  case  are  from  the 
Arctic  region.  Several  forms  of  arrows 
are  used  in  different  parts  of  Alaska 
and   on   the   adjacent   i.slands.     Among 


ALASKA        II  1  s   r  ()  K  1  (•  A  L       Ml    S  i.  i     M 


those  in  the  collection  the  most  im- 
portant are  the  arrows  used  for  hunt- 
ing large  game.  The  Eskimo  also  uses 
an  arrow  with  l)liint  h(  ads  of  various 
patterns  for  killing  birds  without  in- 
juring the  skin. 

Fish  Arrows. 

In  addition  to  the  arrows  u.sed  fa- 
killing  animals  and  birds  the  Eskimo 
has  fish  arrows.  The  fish  arrows  have 
long  shafts  with  one,  two  and  thrcj 
barbed  points  of  bone  at  the  end  held 
in  position  by  sinew  lashing. 

Bird  Darts. 

For  capturing  large  birds  like  ducks 
and  geese,  sitting  on  the  water,  es- 
pecially when  they  have  molted  their 
wing  feathers  so  as  to  b?  unable  to  fly. 
a  dart  with  a  point  at  the  tip  and 
carrying  a  .second  set  of  three  ivory 
prongs  in  a  circle  round  the  middle  of 
the  shaft  is  used.  The  object  of  these 
prongs  is  to  increase  the  chance  of  hit- 
ting the  bird  if  the  hunter  mis.sed  it 
by  the  head  of  the  dart.  They  always 
curve  forward,  so  that  the  points  stand 
out  a  few  inches  from  the  shaft,  and 
are  barbed  on  inner  edge  in  such  a 
way  that,  though  the  neck  of  the  fowl 
will  easily  pass  between  the  prong  and 
the  shaft,  it  is  impossible  to  draw  it 
back  again.  The  fish  spear  and  the 
bird  spear  are  thrown  from  the  boat 
with  a  throwing  stick. 
Seal  Spears. 

The  weapon  for  spearing  seals  from 
a  ka>'ak  is  a  spear  from  four  to   four 


and  one-half  feet  in  length.  The  spears 
have  light  wooden  shafts  with  rounded 
heads  of  bone  or  ivory  with  holes  in 
the  tip  in  which  are  fitted  wooden 
.sockets  with  oval  slots,  to  receive  the 
wedge-shaped  bases  of  detachal)le 
barbed  points  of  bone  or  deer  horn.  Th? 
ivory  points  for  these  spears  are  from 
an  inch  to  three  inches  in  length,  and 
have  two  or  three  barbs  along  each 
side,  with  the  points  and  edges  formed 
to  receive  sinews  or  seal  skin  cords 
which  connect  them  with  the  shafts. 
When  the  spear  is  thrown,  the  barbed 
point,  when  imbedded  in  the  animal,  is 
immediately  detached  from  the  head  of 
the  shaft,  to  which  it  remains  attached 
only  by  the  sinew  or  the  seal  skin 
cords,  which  have  been  wrapped  around 
the  shaft;  as  it  unwinds  the  shaft  of 
the  spear  is  drawn  crosswise  after  the 
retreating  animal,  and  serves  as  a  drag 
to  exhau.st  its  strength  and  render  it 
more  easily  overtaken  by  a  hunter. 

Throwing  Sticks. 

P'ish  arrows,  bird  darts  and  seal 
spears,  described  above  are  thrown  by 
means  of  a  hand  board  or  throwing 
stick.  The  Eskimo  is  very  expert  in 
casting  spears  and  darts  \v\\h  the 
throwing  stick.  He  can  cast  from 
thirty  to  fifty  yards  with  considerable 
accuracy.  In  the  collection  are  throw- 
ing sticks  gathered  from  Point  Barrow 
to  the  Aleutian  Islands. 


Fishing  and  Fishing  Implements 


Fishing  forms  one  of  the  main 
sources  of  food  supply  among  the  Es- 
kimos. In  spring  the  fish  begin  to  re- 
turn to  the  vicinity  of  the  shore. -Holes 
are  made  in  the  ice  from  which  the  fish 
is  caught  by  means  of  hook  and  line. 
As  the  ice  is  quite  thick  special  instru- 
ments are  used  in  chopping  the  ice  and 


in  removing  it  from  the  hole.  Frag- 
ments of  it  intermixed  with  water, 
which  is  constantly  filmed  with  slush 
ice  on  cold  days,  are  removed  with  a 
special  sc(xjp  made  from  whale  bone 
and  having  a  netted  bottom.  The  rim 
is  made  from  the  bone  of  the  whale's 
ear. 


36 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


Fishing  Lines. 

In  the  collection  are  many  varied 
specimens  of  lines  made  from  split 
whale  bone  and  braided  sinew-  On  the 
lower  end  of  the  line,  six  or  ten  inches 
from  the  bottom  a  sinker  of  stone  or 
bone  is  attached.  One  end  of  the  sink- 
er is  tied  to  the  line  and  on  the  other 
the  hooks.  Hooks  are  made  from  ivory 
or  bone.  They  have  either  ivory  or 
metal  shanks.  Some  of  the  lines  are 
Quite  fine  for  small  fish  and  some  are 
thick  for  larger  varieties  of  fish.  The 
lines  are  used  with  a  rod  eighteen  to 
twenty-four  inches  long.  Dr.  John  Mur- 
doch in  the  Ethnological  results  of  the 
Point  Barrow  expedition  describes  the 
mode  of  fishing  as  follows:  "A  hole 
about  a  foot  in  diameter  is  made 
through  the  ice  with  an  ice  pick,  and 
the  fragments  dipped  out  either  with 
the  long-handled  whale  bone  scoop,  or 
the  little  dipper  made  of  two  pieces  of 
antler  mounted  on  a  handle  about  two 
feet  long,  which  everybody  carried  in 
the  winter.  The  line  is  unreeled  and 
let  do-wTi  through  the  hole  till  the  jigs 
hang  about  a  foot  from  the  bottom. 
The  fisherman  holds  in  his  left  hand 
the  dipper  above  mentioned,  with  which 
he  keeps  the  hole  clear  of  the  ice  crys- 
tals, which  form  very  quickly,  and  in 
his  right  the  reel,  which  he  jerks  con- 
tinually up  and  down.  The  fish,  at- 
tracted by  the  white  'jiggers'  begin 
nosing  around  them,  when  the  upward 
jerk  of  the  line  hooks  one  of  them  in 
the  under  jaw  or  the  belly.  As  soon 
as  the  fisherman  feels  the  fish,  he 
catches  a  bight  of  the  line  with  the 
scoop  in  his  left  hand  and  draws  it 
over  to  the  left;  then  he  catches  the 
line  below  this  with  the  reel  and  draws 
it  over  to  the  right,  and  so  on,  thus 
reeling  the   line  up  in   long  hanks   on 


these  two  sticks,  without  touching  the 
wet  line  with  his  fingers," 

Lines  of  whale  bone  are  much  more 
preferable  in  this  cold  region  as  the 
elasticity  of  the  whale-bone  prevents 
kinking,  and  the  ice  which  forms  on 
the  wet  line  as  soon  as  the  line  comes 
on  the  surface  can  easily  be  shaken  off. 
Nets. 

Nets  are  made  from  twisted  sinew 
cord,  split  whalebone,  and  fine  rawhide 
cord.  Small-mesh  seines  of  sinew  are 
used  for  herring  and  whitefish  and  the 
larger  mesh  for  salmon,  which  is 
caught  in  the  rivers.  The  seines  are 
made  from  thirty-six  inches  to  five  feet 
in  width  and  from  six  feet  to  twenty 
and  thirty  feet  in  length.  On  the  up- 
per edge  of  the  seine  a  series  of  round- 
ed wooden  floats  shaped  in  the  form  of 
birds  and  seals  and  handle-like  sinkers 
of  ivory  along  the  lower  edge  are 
strung  at  intervals.  Stone  weights  fre- 
quently alternate  with  ivorj^  weights, 
which  serve  both  for  sinkers  and 
handles. 

In  some  localities  fishing  is  done 
with  dip-nets-  These  are  made  from 
the  same  material  as  the  seines.  The 
specimens  in  the  collection  are  made 
from  split  whalebone  and  willow  roots. 
The  mouth  of  the  net  is  held  open  by  a 
rim  of  whalebone.  Aleuts  and  other 
aboriginal  tribes  of  Alaska  also  used 
nets  for  the  capture  of  the  birds.  In 
the  weaving  of  the  nets  and  seines  the 
Eskimo  uses  shuttles  made  from  ivory, 
bone  and  wood  which  vary  in  size  ac- 
cording to  the  use  and  locality.  In 
gauging  the  size  of  the  mesh,  mesh- 
sticks  of  the  same  material  are  used. 
In  the  collection  there  are  shuttles 
varying  from  three  to  sixteen  inches 
and  the  mesh  sticks  from  one-half  to 
seven  inches. 


n^ 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       MUSEUM 


Utensils  and  Implements 


Wooden  Dishes,  Trays  and  Buckets. 

Dr.  E.  W.  Nelson  In  the  18th  Annual 
Report    of    the    Bureau    of    American 
Ethnology    on    the    Eskimo    about    the 
Bering   Strait,    Page   70,    says:      "The 
Tinne   of  the    lower   Yukon,    adjoining 
the  territory  occupied  by   the   Eskimo 
are  expert  in  woodworking.  They  fash- 
ion from  the  spruce  large  numbers  of 
wooden     dishes,     buckets,     trays     and 
ladles   which   they   ornament  with   red 
and  black  paint.  They  make  trips  down 
the    river   for   the    purpose    of    selling 
their  products  to  the  Eskimo.     In  addi- 
tion to  this  trade  with  the  Eskimo,  the 
articles   manufactured  by  these  people 
are    distributed   over   a    much    greater 
extent  of  territory  by  means  of  inter- 
tribal    trading     among     the     Eskimos 
themselves."      In    the    collection    there 
are  wooden   bowls  carved  from  blocks 
of  soft  driftwood.  Serving  dishes  orna- 
mented  with   blue   beads    imbedded   in 
the  brim  at  equal  intervals.     There  are 
drinking    cups    made    from    wood    and 
whalebone    .  Many    of    the    specimens 
show   the   method  of  mending  wooden 
dishes  and  bowls  which  have  split.     A 
hole  is  bored  in  each  side  of  the  crack, 
and  through  the  two  is  worked  a  neat 
lashing  of  narrow  strip  of  whalebone, 
which    draws   the   parts   together.      In 
mending   holes   a   strip  of  thin   walrus 
ivory  is  neatly  riveted  around  the  hole. 
Drinking   cups    are    made    from    wood, 
whalebone,    ivory   and   bone    from    the 
skull  of  the  walrus.     The  museum  has 
two  specimens  of  the  latter.    One  from 
Cape   Prince   of   Wales   and   the   other 
from   King   Island.     The   inside  of  the 
cup  is   the  socket  of  the  walrus  tusk. 
The   teeth   of  the  animal  can   be   seen 
imbedded  on  the  side  of  the  cup.     The 
eye  socket  forms  the  handle.     The  two 
specimens      measure      five     inches      in 
height  and  about  three  inches  in  diam- 
eter. The  whalebone  specimens  are  the 
commonest     forms     of    drinking    cup. 


They  are  made  by  binding  a  strip  of 
black  whalebone  round  a  spruce  bottom 
and  sewing  the  ends  together,  which 
overlap  each  other  about  one  and  one- 
half  inches,  with  strips  of  whalebone. 
Such  cups  are  found  in  almost  every 
house  and  one  is  generally  kept  con- 
veniently near  the  water  bucket. 

Trays  for  Serving  Food. 

Food  is  served  in  trays  made  from 
driftwood.  The  form  is  generally  cir- 
cular or  oblong.  The  collection  con- 
tains two  large  trays  from  St.  Lawr- 
ence Island,  oblong  in  shape,  and  one 
from  King  Island. 
Buckets  and  Tubs, 

These  vessels  are  made  for  holding 
water  and  other  fluids,  blubber,  and 
oil-  They  are  made  by  hollowing  out 
drift-wood. or  by  bending  a  thin  board 
of  spruce  or  fir  around  a  circular  bot- 
tom and  sewing  the  ends  together. 

Tool  and  Trinket  Boxes. 

For  holding  tools  and  implements  of 
all  kinds,  arrow  and  spear  points  and 
other  necessary  odds  and  ends,  the 
Eskimo  makes  very  neat  boxes  from 
drift  wood  and  other  material.  The 
collection  contains  many  varied  shapes 
and  sizes.  No.  Ill  from  King  Island 
20x8x4 i/o  inches  is  made  from  drift- 
wood steamed  and  bent  and  th  '  ends 
sewn  with  split  whalebone.  No.  1004 
from  Sinuk  is  made  in  a  similar  way. 
It  has  a  well-shaped  cover  hollowed 
out  from  a  single  piece  of  wood.  Both 
are  of  an  early  period.  No.  322  from 
King  Island,  is  of  a  more  recent  date. 
The  box  is  oblong  16x8x61/2  inches.  It 
is  decorated  with  strips  of  ivory  and 
carved  ivory  seals.  The  handle  is  of 
ivory  representing  bear  heads.  No.  201 
from  Cape  Prince  of  Wales  is  a  wom- 
an's work  box.  It  is  circular  in  shape 
made  from  bent  wood,  the  ends  sewn 
with  walrus  hide  over  a  piece  of  ivory 
strip  to  hold  the  ends  in  place. 


40 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


Lamps. 

Throughout  the  Northern  portion  of 
Alaska  and  the  islands  on  tne  Bering 
Strait  lamps  are  used  for  furnishing 
light  and  heat.  These  lamps  stand  on 
the  floor  or  on  special  stands  made  for 
tnem.  Ji,ach  nouse-wife  has  her  own 
lamp,  when  more  than  one  family  oc- 
cupies the  igloo.  The  lamp  lights  the 
room  and  at  the  same  time  gives  suffi- 
cient heat  to  make  the  Eskimo  com- 
fortable. The  material  used  for  mak- 
ing the  lamps  is  soap-stone,  rude  pot- 
tery, clay,  wood  and  in  some  instances, 
bone.  Ihe  lamp  has  always  been  re- 
garded a  fixture  of  the  Eskimo  house. 
When  the  family  moves  the  lamp  goes 
with  the  family.  Parry  in  his  second 
voyage  gives  a  good  description  of  the 
use  of  the  Eskimo  lamp.  He  says: 
"The  fire  belonging  to  each  family  con- 
sists of  a  single  lamp  or  shallow  vessel 
of  lapis  ollaris,  its  form  being  the  less- 
er segment  of  a  circle.  The  wick,  com- 
posed of  dry  moss  rubbed  between  the 
hands  until  it  is  quite  inflammable,  is 
disposed  along  the  edge  of  the  lamp  on 
the  straight  side,  and  in  greater  or 
smaller  quantity  lighted,  according  to 
the  heat  required  or  the  fuel  that  can 
be  afforded.  When  the  whole  length 
of  this,  which  is  sometimes  above  18 
inches,  is  kindled,  it  affords  a  most 
brilliant  and  beautiful  light  without 
any  perceptible  smoke  or  offensive 
smell.  The  lamp  is  made  to  supply  it- 
self with  oil,  by  suspending  a  long,  thin 


slice  of  whale,  seal  or  sea-horse  blubber 
near  the  flame,  the  warmth  of  which 
causes  the  oil  to  drip  into  the  vessel 
until  the  whole  is  extracted." 

"Seal  oil  is  preferred  for  burning  in 
the  lamp,  though  any  animal  fat  may 
be  used.  Successful  hunting  means 
plenty  of  oil  and  in  consequence  cheer 
and  comfort  in  the  hut.  The  economy 
of  oil  is  often  forced  upon  the  Eskimo 
when  food  animals  are  scarce.  Most 
observers  have  spoken  in  terms  of 
praise  of  the  excellent  light  given  by 
the  Eskimo  lamp.  The  flame  in  a  well 
trimmed  lamp  is  from  one  to  two 
inches  high,  very  clear  and  steady.  The 
oil  and  fat  of  the  Northern  animal 
furnish  illuminants  of  the  best  quality. 
In  the  snow  houses  of  the  East  the 
white  walls  reflect  the  light,  adding  to 
its  power"  (Walter  Hough,  Ph.  D.) 
"The  Eskimo  drinks  great  quantities  of 
water.  It  is  curious  that  with  its  world 
of  congealed  water  the  Arctic  should 
be  a  veritable  Sahara.  Water  is  usually 
supplied  by  melted  snow  or  ice  and 
the  lamp  is  brought  into  requisition 
for  the  purpose,  though  sometimes  the 
warmth  of  the  hut  is  sufficient,  es- 
pecially if  the  vessel  containing  the 
snow  is  placed  near  the  flame."  (Ibid.) 
The  value  of  the  lamp  in  arts  is  very 
great.  First  in  importance  is  the  bend- 
ing of  wood  for  snowshoes,  boxes,  etc., 
which  is  accomplished  by  dipping  the 
wood  in  water  and  steaming  it  over 
the  lamp. 


Clothing 


In  their  primitive  state  the  Eskimo 
wore  clothing  made  entirely  of  skins, 
though  in  the  later  years  drilling  and 
calico  is  used  in  many  locations.  The 
chief  material  used  is  the  skin  of  rein- 
deer or  caribou.     The  fine  short-haired 


summer  skins  of  doe  and  fawns  are 
used  for  making  underclothes  and  dress 
garments.  The  heavier  skins  are  used 
for  winter  clothing  and  stockings  and 
mittens.  The  skins  of  seals  are  used 
for  breeches  and  boots. 


42 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


"The  garments  of  the  western  Es- 
kimo are  similar  in  general  plan  to 
those  worn  by  their  relatives  farther 
eastward,  but  vary  in  patterns  and 
style  of  ornamentation.  The  upper  part 
of  both  men  and  women  is  covered 
with  a  frock-like  garment  put  on  over 
the  head,  and  these  garments  are  pro- 
vided with  hoods.  In  addition,  both 
men  and  women  wear  trousers.  Those 
of  the  men  are  made  to  reach  from  the 
hip  to  the  ankle,  the  feet  being  clothed 
with  socks  of  deerskin  or  grass,  over 
which  boots  are  drawn.  The  lower 
garments  of  the  women  are  combined 
boots  and  trousers  reaching  to  the 
waist.  Over  the  feet  are  sometimes 
drawn  skin  boots,  but  frequently  a  sole 
of  oil-tanned  sealskin  is  attached  di- 
rectly to  the  trousers."  (D.  E.  W.  Nel- 


son— Eskimo  About  the  Bering  Strait.) 
The  hood  of  the  garment  is  bordered 
by  strips  of  skin.  The  outer  strip  of 
the  hoods  is  made  from  wolfskin  with 
the  hair  standing  out  like  a  halo.  Just 
inside  of  this  is  a  border  of  wolverine 
skin  so  that  the  long  hairs  lie  back 
against  the  first  border,  producing  a 
pleasant  contrast.  In  the  Kuskokwira 
district  the  garments  are  sometimes 
made  from  Parry's  marmot,  a  species 
of  whistler.  These  garments  are  orna- 
mented with  the  tails  of  the  animal, 
which  is  used  as  a  fringe. 

Specimens  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon  are  handsomely  made  from  the 
mottled  white  skin  of  the  tame  rein- 
deer, obtained  from  the  Siberian  Es- 
kimo. 


Water  Proof  Garments 


"In  addition  to  the  upper  garments 
the  Eskimo  make  waterproof  frocks 
from  the  intestines  of  seals.  The  in- 
testines are  dried  and  slit  open,  and 
the  long  ribbon-like  strips  thus  formed 
are  then  sewed  together  horizontally  to 
lorm  a  frock  similar  in  shape  to  those 
of  fur  worn  by  the  men.  About  the 
sleeves  a  braided  sinew  cord  is  inclosed 
in  a  turned-down  border  to  form  a 
drawstring  for  fastening  the  garment 
securely  about  the  wrist,  in  order  that 
the  water  may  not  enter.  In  addition 
the  border  of  the  hood  about  the  face  is 
provided  with  a  similar  string,  the  ends 
of  which  hang  under  the  chin  so  that 
this  portion  of  the  garment  may  be 
drawn  tightly  for  the  same  purpose. 
These  garments  are  worn  over  the 
other  during  the  wet  weather  on  shore 
as  well  as  at  sea.     Their  most  import- 


ant use,  however,  is  while  hunters  are 
at  sea  in  kayaks.  At  such  times,  when 
the  weather  becomes  rainy  or  rough, 
the  hunter  dons  his  waterproof  frock 
and  the  shirt  is  extended  over  the  rim 
of  the  manhole  in  which  he  sits.  A 
cord  provided  for  the  purpose  is  wound 
around  the  outside,  fastening  tha  bor- 
der of  the  skirt  down  into  a  sunken 
groove  left  for  the  purpose  below  the 
rim  on  the  outside  of  the  kayak.  When 
the  cord  is  made  fast  and  the  drawings 
about  the  face  and  sleeves  ar3  tight- 
ened, the  occupant  of  the  kayak  is  safe 
from  being  drenched  by  the  dashing 
spray,  and  no  water  can  enter  his  boat. 
These  garments  are  strong  and  will 
frequently  withstand  the  pressure  of 
the  water  even  when  the  wearer  is  en- 
tirely submerged  beneath  the  combing 
sea."  (E.  W.  Nelson  —  The  Eskimo 
About  Bering  Straits.) 


44 


TOTEM      LORE      OF      THE      ALASKA      INDIANS 


Footwear 


Boots. 

Among-  the  Eskimos,  boots,  the  most 
common  style  of  foot-wear  are  made 
with  hard-tanned,  sealskin  sole  and  top 
reaching  just  below  the  knee.  The  tops 
are  generally  of  sealskin  tanned  with 
the  hair  left  on,  or  reindeer  skin  tanned 
in  the  same  manner. 

The  specimens  in  the  case  are  made 
from  reindeer  skin.  The  uppers  in  one 
specimen  are  made  in  strips  of  brown 
and  dark  hair.    The  middle  of  the  boot 


running  up  and  down  and  on  the  side 
is  ornamented  with  tanned  buckskin  in 
various  colors.  The  Eskimo  also  makes 
water-proof  boots  of  oil-tanned  seal- 
skin. 

Socks  and  Boot-Pads. 

Socks  of  deer  skin  or  sealskin  with 
the  hair  removed,  reaching  a  little 
above  the  ankle  are  commonly  worn  in 
winter.  Woven  grass  socks  are  worn 
at  all  seasons. 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


Other  Specimens 


On  the  left  side  uf  the  balcony  in 
which  the  above  mentioned  specimens 
appear,  in  the  five  cases  arranged  along 
the  wall  the  implements  used  in  arts 
and  manufacture  are  displayed.  They 
comprise  ivory  and  bone  working  tools, 
stone  implements,  axes,  adz2s.  wedges 
and  mauls,  women's  knives  and  men's 
knives,  bone  bracelets,  snow  beaters, 
snares  and  traps,  skin  dressing  tools 
and  many  other  implements  in  use 
by  the  Eskimo  people. 

In  the  third  case  from  the  door,  spec- 
imens representing  the  very  ancient 
Eskimo  art,  dug  out  below  the  layers 
of  "Kjokken  Moddens"  (Kitcken  Mid- 
dens) are  displayed.  In  October  of 
1913  a  severe  storm  on  the  Bering  Sea 
and  the  Arctic  Ocean  uncovered  big 
heaps  in  front  of  old  village  sites,  con- 
sisting of  teeth  and  bones  of  various 
animals.  Amongst  this  heap  magnifi- 
cent specimens  of  decorative  art  were 
found  in  the  underlayers  of  these  de- 
posits. In  this  collection  there  are  very 
wonderful  pieces  of  ivory  so  old  that 
they  are  not  only  petrified  but  ebon- 
ized.  The  etchings  on  some  of  them 
are  wonderful  in  execution  and  design. 
In  the  collection  are  also  studies  in 
aboriginal  art  in  picture  writings,  rec- 
ords of  hunts  and  stories. 

"In  studying  the  aboriginal  art  one 
naturally  spends  much  time  with  the 
picture  records,  usually  done  on  drill 
bows  or  walrus  tusks.  It  does  not  re- 
quire much  observation  to  notice  that 
the  human  figures  are  not  perfect  in 
their  execution  as  are  the  magnificent 
outlines  of  the  different  animals-  With 
the  exception  of  the  figure  of  man,  with 
a  few  strokes  of  sharp  flint  the  prim- 
eval artist  produced  what  he  wanted. 
Even  at  that  the  gestures  of  the  "figures 
are  suggestive,  and  it  does  not  require 
a  trained  eye  to  catch  the  meaning. 
By  studying  the  position  of  the  figures 


one  can  see  men  carefully  approaching 
game,  or  running  from  the  enemy.  Or, 
from  the  position  of  their  hands,  you 
can  soon  tell  if  they  were  exhibiting 
gratification,  fear  or  welcome,  while 
others  indicate  terror  which  some  ob- 
ject has  caused  them.  The  magnificent 
records  of  the  big  celebrations  and 
dances  are  so  vivid  that  evt'n  a  novice 
could  interpret  their  meaning  at  first 
sight.  The  figures  of  the  animals  will 
plainly  tell  whether  the  animal  was 
grazing,  sleeping  or  swimming  in  a 
stream.  From  their  expression  one  can 
often  plainly  see  that  something  has 
alarmed  them.  A  carving  representing 
a  flock  of  birds  indicates  springtime. 
Drawings  of  ice  hummocks  record  win- 
ter. Part  of  a  whale's  tail  was  a  hunt- 
ing record  and  the  number  shown  on  it 
conveyed  the  amount  killed  by  indi- 
viduals or  tribes  at  certain  periods." 
(Dr.  D.  S.  Neuman.  "The  Eskimo." 
Dec.  1913). 

In  the  fourth  case  is  a  collection  of 
bone  and  ivory  spear  heads  used  t)n 
harpoons  and  lances.  These  heads  are 
so  arranged  that  when  the  weapon  is 
thrust  into  the  animal  it  is  detached 
from  the  shaft-  The  line  holding  the 
spear  or  harpoon  head  is  fastened 
about  its  middle  and  as  the  animal 
pulls  away  from  the  hunter  the  head 
turns  under  the  skin  of  the  animal  at 
right  angles  to  the  line,  like  a  toggle, 
so  that  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  be 
drawn  out.  The  heads  are  tipped  with 
metal,  ivory,  bone,  flint  or  slate  tips. 
When  the  animal  is  struck  the  blade  of 
the  tip  cuts  a  wound  large  enough  to 
allow  the  head  to  pass  in  beyond  the 
barb.  In  the  same  collection  are  very 
old  style  harpoon  heads  pointed  and 
provided  with  barbs.  The  harpoon 
heads  are  all  of  the  same  patterns,  dif- 
fering in  size.  The  larger  size  is  used 
in  hunting  whale  and  walrus  and  the 
smaller  in  hunting  seal. 


48 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


The  next  case  and  the  last  one  con- 
tains a  collection  of  snares  and  traps 
used  by  the  Eskimo  people.  The  hare, 
ground  squirrel,  or  Parry's  marmot, 
ptarmigan  and  other  small  birds  are 
caught  with  snares. 

The  wolf,  the  fox  and  the  beaver  are 
caught  by  traps.  One  very  ingenious 
trap  for  foxes  is  made  from  a  cylinder 
of  wood  with  a  cross  piece  of  bone 
bound  together  with  strong  twisted 
sinew  cords.  The  tension  of  the  spring 
is  produced  by  twisting  the  cord.  The 
lever  is  held  down  by  a  notch  made  in 
the  cross  piece.  When  the  lever  is 
sprung  the  pin,  which  is  often  barbed, 
strikes  the  animal  in  the  head. 


Balcony  No.  2 


Half  of  the  specimens  in  this  room 
belong  to  Dr.  Neuman's  collection.  They 
represent  parts  of  hunting  and  fishing 
implements,  snow  goggles,  wrist  pro- 
tectors for  the  highly  reinforced  bows, 
large  harpoon  heads  with  slate  points 
used  in  whale  and  vv^alrus  hunting; 
small  spear  heads  with  ivory,  slate, 
jade,  copper  and  iron  points,  used  in 
seal  hunting;  skin  scrapers,  root  dig- 
gers, small  fish  hooks,  very  ingeniously 
made  with  attractive  lures,  needle 
cases,  ivory  and  skin  thimbles,  drills  of 
stone,  flint  and  jade,  combs,  wonder- 
fully etched  and  carved  pipes  and  many 
other  articles. 

Butterfly  Charms. 

These  spesimens  are  very  old.  They 
are  a  part  of  the  specimens  from  the 
"Kitchen  Middens."  The  Eskimo  places 
great  reliance  on  amulets  or  talismans. 
These  are  carried  on  their  persons  or 
are  attached  to  the  kayaks  or  umiaks. 
These  charms  or  amulets  are  said  to 
have  belonged  to  certain  animals  or 
persons  of  ancient  times.  In  the  col- 
lection there  are  figures  of  animals  or 


whales  which  accompany  men  in  their 
hunting  and  fishing  trips.  The  pursuit 
of  whales,  walrus  and  seal  was  en- 
cumbered with  many  observances  and 
superstitions.  Every  act  or  every  step 
required  its  own  observances  and  talis- 
mans. Songs  were  very  often  chanted 
to  the  animals  with  special  words  and 
gestures. 

Root  Diggers. 

Judging  from  the  age  of  the  diggers 
on  display  it  is  quite  evident  that  the 
Eskimo  was  acquainted  with  the  nour- 
ishing value  of  food  roots  and  contra- 
dicts the  popular  belief  that  the  Es- 
kimo was  unacquainted  with  the  vege- 
table diet.  In  addition  to  the  roots  as 
food  they  are  fond  of  blueberries,  cran- 
berries and  salmonberries.  The  berries 
and  the  different  kinds  of  bulbous 
vegetables  which  grow  in  the  North 
during  the  summer  months  are  pre- 
served in  oil  for  winter  use. 

In  this  room  there  are  many  other 
very  interesting  objects  such  as  ivory 
drill  bows  with  pictorial  writing;  frag- 
ments of  broken  bows  and  drill  bows 
with  graphic  description  of  hunts  and 
ceremonial  dancing;  very  perfect  drill 
points  of  jade,  flint  and  hard  stone;  a 
very  old  and  rare  handle  from  a  cere- 
monial bucket  made  from  mastodon 
ivory  with  a  record  of  whales  killed  by 
the  owner,  and  many  others. 

A  tempered  copper  bracelet  made  by 
the  Eskimo  of  St.  Michael  is  exhibited 
here,  showing  that  the  art  of  temper- 
ing copper  is  not  a  lost  art  to  the 
aboriginal  tribes. 

Hair  Ornaments  and  Combs. 

Dr.  E-  W.  Nelson  in  "The  Eskimo 
About  the  Bering  Strait,"  says:  "The 
tonsure  is  universally  practiced  by  the 
Eskimo.  The  general  style  is  to  shave 
the  top  of  the  head  leaving  a  narrow 
fringe  of  hair  about  the  border,  which 
usually  is  kept  trimmed  evenly  two  or 
three  inches  in  length  around  the  head. 


50 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


"The  women  dress  their  hair  by  part- 
ing it  along  the  median  line  and  ar- 
ranging it  in  a  pendant  braid  or  club- 
shaped  mass  behind  the  ear.  South  of 
Yukon  mouth  the  women  are  especially 
fond  of  ornamenting  the  pendant  rolls 
or  braids  of  hair  by  hanging  bands  and 
strings  of  beads  upon  them  with  ivory 
ornaments  attached,  some  of  which  are 
figured.  They  usually  represent  the 
faces  of  animals  or  grotesque  semi- 
human  creatures." 

In  the  collection  there  are  combs 
made  from  ivory,  bone  and  horn  used 
in  hair  dresing.  Combs  made  of  a  sec- 
tion of  a  beam  of  antlers,  hollowed  out 
and  cut  into  teeth  on  the  end,  are  used 
to  remove  loosened  hair  on  deer-skin 
garments.  Some  are  made  with  teeth 
on  one  end  and  others  with  teeth  on 
both  ends.  One  specimen  in  the  col- 
lection from  St.  Lawrence  Island  is 
made  of  walrus  ivory.  These  combs, 
as  well  as  the  comb-like  implements 
with  three  or  four  teeth,  are  used  in 
dividing  loosened  fibers  of  sinew  and 
grass  for  thread.  The  sinew  from  the 
legs  or  neck  of  reindeer  is  dried  and 
beaten  with  a  maul  to  loosen  the  fibers, 
which  are  then  divided  and  cleaned. 
Tough  grass  is  gathered,  dried  and 
beaten,  then  hatchelled  with  the  combs 
described  above. 

Tobacco  and  Smoking. 

Dr.  E.  W.  Nelson  in  "The  Eskimo 
About  Bering  Straits,"  says:  "Tobacco 
was  first  introduced  among  the  Alaskan 
Eskimo  from  Asia,  by  way  of  Bering 
Strait,  by  their  Siberian  neighbors,  and 
by  the  same  route  came  the  pipes  with 
cylindrical  bowls  and  wide  rims,  similar 
to  those  used  in  eastern  Asia.  Tobacco 
is  used  in  diff"erent  forms  by  both 
sexes;  the  women  usually  chew  it  or 
take  it  in  the  form  of  snuff,  but  rarely 
smoke  it;  the  men  use  it  in  all  these 
ways.  The  tobacco  now  used  by  these 
people    is    obtained    from    the    traders. 


and  is  usually  in  the  form  of  the  nat- 
ural leaf,  tied  in  small  bunches  called 
'hands.' 

"For  chewing  the  tobacco  is  cut  into 
shreds  on  boards  which  are  usually 
merely  plain  tablets  from  a  few  inches 
to  a  foot  or  more  in  diameter,  but  they 
are  sometimes  ornamented  with  an  in- 
cised pattern.  When  the  tobacco  has 
been  cut  sufficiently  fine  it  is  mixed 
with  ashes  obtained  from  tree  fungus 
and  kneaded  and  rolled  into  rounded 
pellets  or  quids,  often  being  chewed  a 
little  by  the  women  in  order  to  incor- 
porate the  ashes  more  thoroughly. 
From  four  to  eight  of  the  pellets  are 
prepared  at  one  time;  these  are  packed 
in  little  boxes  ready  for  use. 

"For  smoking  the  tobacco  is  cut  very 
fine,  then  a  little  tuft  of  fur  is  plucked 
from  the  clothing  and  wadded  at  the 
bottom  of  the  narrow,  cylindrical  bowl 
of  the  pipe,  and  the  tobacco  is  placed 
on  top  of  this  bowl  until  it  is  full.  A 
small  fragment  of  tinder  is  then  light- 
ed with  flint  and  steel  and  placed  on 
the  tobacco  .  The  smoker  gives  two  or 
three,  sharp  draws,  which  thoroughly 
ignite  the  tinder  and  tobacco,  and  then 
draws  the  smoke  into  his  lungs  by  a 
long,  deep  inhalation,  which  consumes 
all  the  tobacco  contained  in  the  pipe. 
After  retaining  the  smoke  as  long  as 
possible  it  is  exhaled,  and  the  smoker 
puts  away  the  pipe.  For  making  snuff 
the  tobacco  is  finally  shredded,  and  is 
then  thoroughly  dried,  after  which  it 
is  pounded  in  a  small  mortar  with  a 
wooden  pestle  until  reduced  to  powder. 
After  being  thus  treated,  it  is  sifted,  to 
remove  the  coarser  particles,  until  it  is 
finally  of  the  fineness  required.  For 
this  purpose  they  use  small  sieves.  The 
snuff  is  kept  in  neatly  made  boxes,  and 
is  used  by  placing  one  end  of  a  tube 
(made  from  the  wing  bone  of  a  goose 
or  other  water  fowl)  successively  in 
each  of  the  nostrils  and  inhaling  vigor- 
ously from  the  snuff-box  in  which  the 
other  end  of  the  tube  is  placed." 


52 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


Pipes 


"The  tobacco  pipes  used  by  the  Es- 
kimo on  the  mainland  and  adjacent 
islands  of  northern  Alaska  vary  consid- 
erably in  different  localities,  but  in 
general  their  remarkable  likeness  to 
pipes  used  in  China  and  Japan  is  note- 
worthy, and  suggests  the  source 
whence  the  patterns  were  derived."  (Dr. 
E.  W.  Nelson.)  In  the  collection  most 
of  the  pipes  are  of  wood  with  a  mouth- 
piece of  bone  or  ivory,  but  specimens 
from  St-  Lawrence  Island  are  elabor- 
ately carved  from  walrus  ivory.     Nos. 


1678  and  1679  are  decorated  with  elab- 
orate designs.  The  bowl  is  of  fossil 
ivory.  No.  1864  from  St.  Lawrence 
Island,  is  inlaid  with  lead  and  is  magni- 
ficently decorated.  No.  275  from  Mary's 
Igloo,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  Eskimo 
work.  It  is  14  inches  long.  The  cop- 
per bowl  is  evidently  a  candle  socket 
from  the  Russian  church  candelabra. 
It  has  a  walrus  ivory  mouth-piece  three 
inches  long.  An  iron  spatula  is  attach- 
ed on  sealskin  thong,  decorated  with 
two  green  beads.  The  pipe  stem  was 
drilled  from  two  different  directions. 


Labrets 


According  to  Dr.  D.  S.  Neuman,  Dr. 
E.  W.  Nelson  and  other  writers,  the 
wearing  of  labrets  and  the  custom  of 
tattooing  portions  of  the  face  was  very 
general  among  the  Eskimo  of  the  Al- 
askan mainland  and  the  islands.  At 
present  this  custom  is  almost  obsolete, 
although  on  the  lips  of  the  old  men  the 
incisions  made  for  them  in  youth  still 
remain.  Perhaps  among  the  natives  in 
the  far  North,  where  the  contact  with 
the  whites  has  been  infrequent,  the 
wearing  of  labrets  may  still  be  in  force. 

The  custom  among  men  was  to  pierce 
the  lip  for  two  labrets,  one  on  each 
corner  of  the  mouth,  though  frequently 
only  one  was  worn.  The  incision  for 
the  labret  was  made  about  the  age  of 


14  or  15  years.  It  was  made  as  a  rule 
by  a  slate  or  stone  lancet,  the  hole  at 
first  just  large  enough  to  admit  a  flat- 
headed  pin  of  walrus  ivory.  The  pin 
was  later  replaced  by  a  slightly  stouter 
pin,  and  so  on,  until  the  incision  was 
stretched  to  a  diameter  of  about  one- 
half  inch,  when  it  was  ready  for  the 
labret. 

The  woman's  labret  is  considerably 
lifferent  in  style  and  shape.  It  is  of 
sickle  shape  in  form  with  a  broad  flat- 
tened base  for  resting  against  the 
teeth.  The  lower  border  of  it  has  holes 
for  the  attachment  of  short  strings  of 
very  fine  beads.  The  incisions  were 
made  in  the  under  lip  just  over  the 
chin.  One  and  two  labrets  were  worn 
by  the  women. 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL       M  U  S  K  T  M 


Kayak 


Kayaks  are  used  by  all  the  natives 
along  the  western  and  northwestern 
coast  of  North  America.  They  vary  in 
shape,  size  and  the  number  of  hatches, 
but  the  general  plan  of  construction  is 
the  same.  The  name  kayak  and  bi- 
darka  is  the  same.  The  former  is  the 
native  term  and  the  latter  was  derived 
from  the  Russians.  Father  \'eniam- 
inoff,  later  Innocent  Metropolitan  of 
Moscow,  the  first  missionary  to  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  who  lived  and  worked 
throughout  Alaska  for  35  years,  in 
writing  about  I'nalaska  and  the  Aleu- 
tian chain  describes  the  bidarka  and  its 
construction  in  a  better  and  more  in- 
telligent manner  than  any  other  writer. 
He  says :  "Aleuts,  being  the  inhabitants 
of  islands,  are  necessarily  obliged  to 
have  some  sort  of  boats  to  cross  the 
sea  between  them.  Nature  has  denied 
them  the  necessary  material  for  build- 
ing boats,  that  is,  the  wood,  but  as  if 
in  recompense  has  supplied  them  with 
better  intelligence  in  perfecting  a  new 
and  a  special  flotilla,  the  bidarka 
Whether  the  Aleuts,  the  Kodiak  na- 
tives or  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  north 
of  America  were  the  inventors  of  the 
bidarka  is  not  known.  But  we  know 
that  the  first  bidarka  used  by  the  na- 
tives was  very  crude  and  unwieldly  and 
could  be  navigated  with  great  difficulty 
from  one  island  to  another  and  then 
only  in  fair  weather  and  smooth  sea. 
It  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  the  per- 
fection of  the  bidarka  belongs  to  the 
Aleuts.  It  is  only  necessary  to  take  a 
look  at  the  bidarkas  of  Kodiaks,  the 
Aglemuits  and  the  Northern  tribes, 
from  the  first  glance  the  superiority  of 
the  Aleut  bidarka  is  apparent.  I  want 
to  mention  that  the  present  bidarka  is 
not  as  perfect  as  the  one  used  in  the 
olden  times.  Those  made  by  the  Aleuts 
in  the  times  past  were  so  narrow  and 
had  sur'h  a  sharp  keel  that  it  could  not 
ride  on  even  keel  without  the  rider,  and 


were  .'•'O  light  that  a  mere  child  could 
carry  them  from  place  to  place.  In  the 
construction  of  a  good  bidarka  aboiK 
(^0  pieces  of  ivory  are  put  into  the 
joints.  These  pieces  are  nuts,  pivois. 
mortise  locks,  plates,  etc.  In  a  bidarka 
so  constructed  every  joint  moves  and 
g\\e<  during  its  progress  through  the 
watei.  Bidarkas  of  the  old  make  were 
very  speedy.  During  the  visit  of  Cap 
tains  Krenitzin  and  Levasheff  at  I'n- 
alaska, one  Aleut  was  sent  from  Cap- 
tains Bay  to  Issanakh  Strait,  a  distance 
of  134  miles.  He  was  intrusted  with 
important  documents  to  one  oi  the 
iigents.  The  Aleut  covered  the  distance 
in  25  to  30  hours. 

"At  present  there  are  three  kinds  of 
bidarkas:  The  one-hatch,  the  two-hatch 
and  the  three-hatch.  All  that  is  m*^n- 
tioned  above  is  in  refer'^nce  to  the  jne- 
hatch  bidarka.  The  three-hatch  bidarka 
came  iiito  use  with  the  advent  of  the 
Russians. 

"The  principal  part  of  the  bidarka  is 
not  the  keel,  but  the  strips  or  the  upper 
frame  with  some  of  the  cross  pieces  or 
beams.  The  widest  portion  of  the  best 
bidarka  is  not  in  the  center,  as  some 
writers  assert,  but  closer  to  the  bow. 
Ihe  keel  is  added  and  is  always  made 
of  three  pieces,  for  the  reason  that 
when  in  motion  the  bidarka  may  have 
flexibility  on  the  waves.  After  the  keel 
is  placed  ribs  are  added  running  cross- 
ways  from  three  to  seven  inches  apart. 
Strips  running  lengthwise  are  then  tied 
to  the  ribs  with  sealskin  straps  or  split 
whalebone. 

"The  cover  is  made  from  sea-lion  or 
sealskins,  which  is  cut  out  on  the 
frame  and  is  then  sewn  together  with 
exception  of  the  upper  seam  running 
from  the  man-hole  to  the  stem,  this 
last  seam  is  sewn  up  after  the  skin  is 
slipped  over  the  frame.  The  finished 
liidarka  is  well  oiled  before  it  can  be 
used  in  the  water." 


ALASKA       HISTORICAL      MUSKUM 


55 


Masks 


The  museum  has  a  large  and  varied 
collection  of  masks  Irom  the  northern 
portion  ol"  Alaska,  used  by  the  Eskimo 
people.  The  collection  was  made  by 
Dr.  Neuman  and  many  specimens  in 
it  were  acquired  by  the  Territory  prev- 
iously. These  represent  masks  used  in 
ceremonial  and  festival  occasions,  those 
used  by  shamans  in  their  ritualistic 
practices  and  those  of  totemic  origin 
used  on  the  graves  and  burial  places. 
"When  masks  are  worn  in  any  cere- 
monial, either  totemic  or  as  represent- 
ing the  shade  Yu-a  or  Tunghak,  the 
wearer  is  believed  to  become  myster- 
iously and  unconsciously  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  the  being  which  his  mask 
represents,  just  as  the  namesakes  are 
entered  into  and  possessed  by  the 
shades  at  certain  parts  of  the  festival 
for  the  dead.  Shamans  make  masks 
representing  grotesque  faces  of  super- 
natural beings  which  they  claim  to 
have  seen.  These  may  be  Yu-a,  which 
are  the  spirits  of  the  elements,  of 
places,  and  of  inanimate  things  in  gen- 
eral; the  Tunghak,  or  the  wandering 
genii  or  the  shades  of  people  and  ani- 
mals. .  .  .  Curious  mythological  beasts 
are  also  said  to  inhabit  both  land  and 
sea,  but  become  visible  only  on  special 
occasions.  These  ideas  furnish  mater- 
ial upon  which  their  fancy  works,  con- 
juring up  strange  forms  that  are  us- 
ually modifications  of  known  creatures. 
.  .  .  Masks  may  also  represent  totemic 
animals,  and  the  wearers  during  the 
festivals  are  believed  actually  to  be- 
come the  creatures  represented  or  at 
least  to  be  endowed  with  its  spiritual 
essence-  .  .  .  Many  masks  are  very 
complicated,  having  numerous  append- 
ages of  feathers  and  carved  wood; 
these  represent  limbs  or  are  symbolic. 
The  masks  are  also  painted  to  repre.sent 
features  or  ideas  connected  with  myth- 


ology of  the  being.  Many  masks  have 
wooden  models  of  thumbless  hands  at- 
tached to  the  sides,  the  palms  of  the 
hands  being  pierced  with  large,  cir- 
cular holes;  these  are  usually  found  on 
masks  representing  birds,  beasts  and 
spirits  having  some  connection  with 
making  game  more  or  less  plentiful." 
(Dr.  E.  \V.  Nelson.) 

In  the  collection  there  is  one  very 
large  mask  made  from  the  butt  of  a 
drift  wood  log,  carved  to  represent  a 
woman's  face.  This  specimen  was  pro- 
cured from  the  Big  Diomede  Island. 
Dr.  D.  S.  Neuman  describes  this  speci- 
men as  being  a  fetish  that  hung  in 
front  of  the  Kazhim  or  the  meeting 
house.  In  giving  the  dances  the  na- 
tives of  the  island  offered  food  to  the 
idol  to  offset  any  dangers  that  might 
be  threatened;  to  bring  good  and  suc- 
cessful hunting.  When  the  hunting 
proved  successful  food  was  offered  to 
the  idol  from  the  meat,  oil  and  blubber 
obtained.  They  worshiped  the  idol  to 
heal  the  sick.  etc. 

There  are  two  very  old  wooden  dolls 
in  the  collection  from  the  same  island 
that  were  used  in  the  meeting  house 
after  a  successful  hunt.  These  were 
suspended  from  the  ceiling  during  the 
dance.  Food  from  the  whale  or  seal 
Ci'.ught  during  the  hunt  was  offered  to 
them. 

Another  idol  is  "Kuzenzak"  about 
ten  inches  long,  having  a  fish  back  and 
carved  to  represent  a  being  partly 
human  and  partly  fish-  This  was  used 
in  spring  at  the  time  when  naviga- 
tion opened  and  the  boats  were  launch- 
ed for  the  first  time  after  the  ice  op- 
ened. This  idol  was  either  hung  up  on 
the  mast  or  kept  in  the  boat  to  bring 
a  successful  hunt.  If  the  hunt  proved 
successful  the  idol  was  fed  from  the 
animal  food  obtained  at  the  time. 


ALASKA       HISTORIC  A  I.       M  L  s  K  I    M 


67 


The  Territorial  Collection 


Aside  frtmi  the  collection  exhibited 
as  the  "Dr.  Neuman's  Collection"  the 
specimens  exhibited  in  the  third  bal- 
cony are  designated  as  the  "Lieuten- 
ant Emmon's  Collection."  These  speci- 
mens were  gathered  by  Lieut.  George 
T.  Emmons,  U.  S.  Navy,  for  the  Ter- 
ritory. Many  articles  in  this  collection 
are  duplicates  of  the  Neuman  collec- 
tion, but  bear  distinct  differences  as  to 
the  locality  from  which  they  were  pro- 
cured. They  come  from  the  lower  Yu- 
kon territory  and  mostly  from  the  Kus- 
kokwim  district.  In  their  general  form 
they  are  very  similar  to  the  Neuman 
collection  but  are  of  more  recent  date. 
There  are  many  pieces  that  are  entirely 
different.  This  can  be  seen  in  the  cere- 
monial head  dresses  used  during  the 
winter  dances,  the  personal  adorn- 
ments, comprising  the  earrings  worn 
by  the  men,  earrings  worn  by  women. 


Needle  cases  of  recent  make  with  fine 
etchings,  and  hou.sewife  fasteners  for 
the  sewing  bags.  There  are  curiously 
carved  spoons,  tobacco  boxes,  quid  boxes 
and  wooden  playing  cards.  There  are 
also  Eskimo  dolls  made  of  ivory,  dolls 
made  of  wood  and  dressed  in  furs,  and 
many  other  objects  of  great  interest. 
The  most  interesting  part  of  the  Terri- 
torial collection  is  the  display  of  bas- 
kets from  all  parts  of  Alaska.  Coiled 
baskets  of  coarse  grass  from  the  Ber- 
ing Straits,  circular  in  shape  for  keep- 
ing trinkets,  and  clothing,  baskets  for 
berries,  for  carrying  fish,  and  others. 
There  is  a  large  collection  of  baskets 
from  the  British  Columbia  Indians 
made  very  substantially  and  from  thick 
split  spruce-roots,  baskets  from  the  in- 
ner bark  of  the  red  cedar  trees  and 
clothes  hampers  from  the  Queen  Char- 
lotte Islands. 


Eskimo  Baskets, 


The  Eskimo  women  are  quite  expert 
in  weaving  grass  mats,  baskets,  grass 
socks,  mittens  and  bags.  Mats  are  used 
for  sleeping  benches,  for  wrapping 
around  the  bedding  and  in  the  kayaks 
to  sit  on.  The  baskets  are  used  for 
storing  away  clothing  and  supplies.  The 
smaller  sizes  for  storing  small  articles, 
used  in  the  house.  The  material  usid 
in  making  baskets  is  coarse  grass,  the 


Mats  and  Haji's 

stem  of  the  gra.ss  being  used  for  the 
foundation  and  the  blade  coiled  and 
stitched  on.  The  ornamentation  is 
very  simple.  Strips  of  light  skin  of 
fish  or  light  hide  are  run  through  the 
sides  in  a  straight  line.  In  some  bas- 
kets claws  of  small  birds  are  sewn 
around  the  middle.  Soft  open-work, 
twined  baskets  are  used  for  carrying 
fish  and   roots. 


Salishan  and  1  laida  Baskets 


This  collection  was  secured  from  the 
natives  of  British  Columbia.- inhabit- 
ing the  coast  and  adjacent  islands, 
from  Vancouver  to  the  Frazier  River. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  baskets  was 


manufactured  by  the  Salish  Indians 
and  the  other  porti(m  by  the  Haida 
tribes.  These  baskets  are  made  from 
coarse  cedar  splints,  bound  with  split 
cedar  roots  and  ornamented  with  strips 


58 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


of  wild  grass  and  bark.  They  are  so 
closely  woven  that  they  are  watertight. 
They  are  made  for  storage  of  articles 
of  clothing,  and  carriage  of  berries  and 
fish.  Before  the  introduction  of  tin 
and  granite  vessels  the  baskets  of  this 
pattern  were  used  for  water  buckets 
and  cooking  pots.  In  the  collection 
[here  is  one  from  Chilkoton,  made  by 
the  Athabaskan  natives,  that  is  worth 
describing  in  full.  It  is  specimen  No. 
27,  a  coiled  basket  of  spruce  root, 
bound  together  with  spruce  root  woof- 
The  outer  surface  is  imbricated  in 
white  straw  and  ornamented  with 
cherry  bark;  near  the  upper  edge  is  a 
bark  zone  of  spruce  root,  around  which 
is  bound  a  strengthening  rod  to  which 
are  attached  skin  loops,  through  which 
reeve   the   ends   of   the   camping   band 


which  goes  over  the  head  or  across  the 
breast  and  by  means  of  which  the  bas- 
ket is  carried  on  the  back. 

No.  50,  from  the  West  Coast  of  Van- 
couver Island,  made  by  the  Nootka 
Sounci.  natives,  is  an  apron  of  plaited 
cedar  bark,  worn  over  the  back  when 
packing  wood  or  fish  to  protect  the 
body  or  clothing.  The  sleevelike  loops 
come  over  the  shoulder,  and  the  arms 
pass  through  them. 

No.  60,  from  Cape  Flattery,  collect- 
ed in  1891  by  Judge  James  Swann,  is 
a  blanket  of  finely  shredded  inner  bark 
of  the  yellow  cedar,  which  was  the 
principal  article  of  clothing  of  the  West 
Coast  people  before  they  came  in  con- 
tact with  Europeans. 

No.  61,  from  the  same  locahty  and 
collected  by  the  same  man,  is  a  storage 
bag  of  cedar  bark. 


Aleut  Baskets 


The  Aleut  women  are  expert  in 
weaving  fine  grass  ware,  and  for  this 
purpose  they  gather  grasses,  cure  and 
prepare  them  with  the  greatest  care. 
These  grasses  are  long  and  soft.  The 
southern  extremity  of  the  chain  of  the 
Islands,  known  as  the  Aleutian  Islands, 
produce  grasses  that  are  exceptionally 
suited  for  weaving  of  the  handsome 
specimens  known  as  the  Attu  basket. 
The  climate  seems  to  assist  in  raising 
just  the  right  kind  and  quality  of 
grass.  After  the  grass  is  gathered,  it 
is  split  into  the  finest  strands  which 
are  carefully  divided  as  to  color  and 
quality.  Unlimited  patience  and  care  is 
required  in  the  weaving  and  the  execu- 
tion of  the  design.    There  is  something 


exceedingly  tasteful  and  exquisite  in 
the  delicate  blending  of  colors  and  pat- 
terns which  the  grass  workers  employ 
in  the  production  of  their  wares.  An 
instance  is  known  of  a  work  basket  be- 
ing made  to  order  for  a  trader  by  an  old 
native  woman,  who  was  engaged  upon 
her  work  for  six  years.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  the  basket,  when  finished, 
was  a  remarkable  exhibition  of  a  beau- 
tiful handicraft.  The  native  women  of 
Atkha  and  Attu  were  always  classed 
as  the  best  basket  weavers  among  the 
chain  of  islands.  Yet  there  are  many 
beautiful  specimens  produced  by  the 
women  living  much  higher  to  the  north 
and  on  the  mainland.  But  the  excellent 
product  is  the  result  of  grasses  import- 
ed from  the  extreme  southern  end. 


ALASKA      HISTOUICAL      MUSEUM 


S9 


Specimens  from  the  Russian  Occupation  and 
Other  Historical  Rehcs 


Perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting 
specimens  of  the  historical  relics  is  the 
section  of  a  frame  from  the  old  Rus- 
sian steamer  "Palitkofsky"  built  at 
Sitka,  Alaska,  in  18G3.  The  length  of 
the  vessel  was  129.5  feet,  breadth,  21. :{ 
It.  and  the  deth.  8.9  ft.  Its  gross  ton- 
nage was  255.44  and  the  net  tonnage, 
174.89.  The  nominal  horsepower  was 
:]52. 

After  the  transfer  of  the  Territory 
the  steamer  "Palitkofsky"  was  used  in 
the    coastwise    trade    between     Alaska 


and  California.  In  1897  the  steamer 
was  towed  to  St.  Michael,  Alaska,  load- 
ed with  goods  and  supplies  for  the 
Yukon  trade.  Then  for  about  five  years 
it  was  used  as  a  lighter  in  unloading 
vessels  at  St.  Michael.  In  190:i  it  went 
on  the  beach,  where  it  now  lies. 

In  this  collection  there  are  many  in- 
teresting objects  (such  as  copper  ket- 
tles, snuff  boxes  made  from  copper, 
grog  cups,  wrought  iron  axes,  and  many 
other  things  all  the  products  of  the 
Russian  artisans  of  Alaska. 


"The  Sitka  Times"— Ihe  hirst  Newspaper 

Edited  in  Alaska 


This  interesting  historical  relic  com- 
mands great  interest.  It  is  the  first 
effort  in  Alaska  to  have  a  newspaper. 
Having  no  type  or  printing  press,  thi^ 
editor,  Barney  O.  Ragan,  wrote  out  by 
hand  all  the  necessary  copies  of  his 
newspaper.  The  mu.^eum  is  in  pos- 
session of  Vol.  1,  No.  1  of  this  inter- 
esting publication.  The  paper  was  ed- 
ited once  a  week  and  sold  at  tweiity- 
tive  cents  per  copy. 

"In  1869,  an  Irish  tailor  named  T.  (J. 
Murphy,  took  to  Sitka  a  press  and 
some  type  and  began  the  publication 
of  the  "Alaska  Times."  It  was  shortly 
after  the  purchase  of  the  country  from 
Russia,  and  when  there  had  been  con- 
siderable civilian  immigration,  in  addi- 
tion    to     strong     military     and     naval 


forces  .sent  there  l)y  the  govenmient. 
I'pon  the  subsidence  of  the  boom,  Mur- 
|)hy  found  that  he  could  not  possibly 
continue  the  publication  of  his  pap>er 
there,  and  moved  to  Seattle,  Here  he 
published  it  for  a  while  longer  as  the 
"Alaska  Times  and  Seattle  Dispatch." 
Not  being  a  practical  newspaper  man, 
and  the  field  being  very  small,  he  was 
soon  forced  to  sell  out,  which  he  did  to 
C.  H.  Larrabee  and  Beriah  Brown,  who 
dropped  the  Alaska  feature,  and  called 
the  paper  the  "Puget  Sound  Dispatch." 
The  Dispach  ran  in  this  way  until  the 
fall  of  1878.  when  it  was  merged  in 
the  "Intelligencer."  which  in  turn  was 
consolidated  with  the  "Post"  in  1881, 
the  present  "Post  Intelligencer"  re- 
sulting." ("The  Alaskan"  Dec.  2(5,  1885.) 


60 


ALASKA      HISTORICAL      MUSEUM 


Some  Historical  Monuments  of  Alaska  Left 
From  the  Russian  Occupation 


Of  the  most  interesting-  and  the 
greatest  historical  monuments  remain- 
ing from  the  Russian  times  in  Alaska 
are  the  old  Russian  churches  with  their 
wonderful  paintings,  vestments  and 
sacred  vessels.  There  are  three  churches 
that  are  worthy  of  mention:  The  Un- 
alaska  Church  of  the  Ascension,  The 
Kodiak  Church  of  Resurrection  and  the 
St.  Michael's  Cathedral  of  Sitka. 

The  St.  Michael's  Cathedral  at  Sitka 
is  by  far  the  most  interesting  as  a  his- 
torical relic.  The  Church  was  finished 
and  dedicated  in  honor  of  St.  Michael, 
the  Archangel  on  the  8-20  of  Novem- 
ber, 1848. 

The  edifice  is  built  in  the  shape  of  a 
cross,  one  arm  of  which  is  occupied  by 
the  entrance. 

It  has  three  sanctuaries  and  as  many 
altars.  The  sanctuaries  are  separated 
from  the  main  church  by  screens, 
which  are  called  the  iconostas.  The 
screen  of  the  main  church  is  adorned 
with  twelve  icons  in  costly  silver  cas- 
ings. The  silver  used  upon  these  icons 
would  weigh  about  fifty  pounds  in  solid 
metal.  The  Sitka  Madonna  in  the 
chapel  of  the  "Lady  of  Kazan"  is  the 
pearl  of  the  Russian  ecclesiastical  art, 
which  cannot  but  impress  every  lover 
of  art.  It  was  a  true  artist's  brush 
that  produced  this  heavenly  face  of  an 
ineffable  mildness.  The  charm  and 
novelty  of  this  ecclesiastical  type  lies 
in  its  entire  harmony  with  the  re- 
verential purity  of  true  religious  in- 
spiration. 

Our  space  forbids  us  to  go  into  a  de- 
tailed description  of  the  many  other 
wonderful  and  inspiring  sacred  paint- 
ings, vestments  and  vessels.  Aside 
from  the  historical  connection  belong- 
ing to  every  painting,  all  the  works  of 
art  in  this  church  are  very  striking. 

In  the  belfry  there  is  an   octave  of 


chimes,  the  bells  of  which  range  in 
weight  from  seventy  to  fifteen  hundred 
pounds. 

The  clock  in  the  church  tower  made 
by  the  hand  of  the  venerable  Father 
Veniaminoff,  the  late  Metropolitan  of 
Russia,  is  worthy  of  some  mention. 
Father  Veniaminoff,  while  yet  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Irkutsk  theological  sem- 
inary, learned  the  clock  maker's  trade 
in  1818  from  a  German  clock-maker, 
Klim,  who  was  then  making  a  tower 
clock  for  the  Cathedral  at  Irkutsk. 

After  spending  ten  years  in  mis- 
sionary work  on  the  Aleutian  Islands, 
Father  Venianinoff  was  transferred  to 
Sitka.  Living  at  the  Capital  the  good 
Father  in  addition  to  his  literary  work 
was  very  fond  of  using  his  spare  time 
in  mechanical  pursuits.  Here  in  grati- 
tude to  the  Russian  American  Com- 
pany for  their  co-operation  in  enlight- 
ening the  savage  races  of  Alaska  and 
as  a  memorial  to  himself,  he  made  the 
tower  clock  for  the  St-  Michael's  Cathe- 
dral. Speaking  of  this  in  later  years, 
Father  Veniaminoff  expressed  himself 
thus:  "The  clock  keeps  good  time  and 
strikes  the  hours  accurately  even  if  the 
tower  of  the  church  has  a  lean  to  it." 
The  clock  was  made  in  1836  and  placed 
in  the  old  church.  Later  when  the  new 
Cathedral  was  finished  it  was  placed 
there. 

Captain  Belcher  in  his  voyage  on  the 
ship  "Sulphur"  in  1837,  speaking  of 
hie  visit  to  Sitka  said:  "I  have  visited 
the  local  church  and  was  present  there 
during  the  service.  The  interior  of  the 
church  is  magnificent,  which  could  not 
be  expected  in  a  place  like  this.  The 
preist  is  a  manly  athletic  man  of  about 
forty-five  years  of  age,  six  feet  three 
inches  in  height  and  very  intelligent. 
He  made  a  very  favorable  impression 
upon    me.      Having    received    his    per- 


TOTEM      LORE     OF     THE      ALASKA      INDIANS 


61 


mission  to  examine  his  work-shop.  I 
saw  there  (luite  a  jrood  organ,  (*).  a 
barometer  and  many  other  articles  of 
his  own  construction.  He  was  so  i<in(l 
as  to  offer  his  services  to  repair  our 
two    barometers,    and    repaired    them 


very  satisfactorily.  In  spite  of  the  fact 
that  he  spoke  in  Russian  only,  we  had 
become  very  good  friends." 


ThtM     Ik     iio     doubt     the     organ 
SiH'Idori   JarkHun   Muaeuin. 


now     at     the 


Ore  Specimens 


In  this  collection  the  mines  of  every     tin.    coal,    marble,    asbestos,    mica    and 


district  in  Alaska  are  represented.  The 
specimens  cover  the  entire  development 
of  mining  industry  of  Alaska  from  the 
early  days  to  the  present  time.   There 


many  other  minerals. 

Specimens  from  Alaska  sent  to  the 
American  Mining  Congress  held  in 
11)21    at    Chicago   are   now   here   and    a 


are   specimens   of  gold,   silver,   copper,     part  of  them  exhibited. 


ocas 

SPIRT  LIBRARY 


D     000  412  019 


